


Monsters

by gaslight_skellington



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-08-28 17:02:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8454574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaslight_skellington/pseuds/gaslight_skellington
Summary: Seth showing up unannounced she could imagine, and handle – her relationship with that Gecko had never been quite as complicated as her relationship with this Gecko but truthfully, she didn't think she wanted to see them again; her life was normal and dull, but it was finally hers and she was content with it. The Geckos showing up two years after she'd left them could never mean anything good.“Hello Kate.”She shivered at the sound of his voice and the intensity in his eyes and then scowled at herself for allowing him to see how he affected her. She decided anger was better than angst and glared at him, going on the defensive immediately.“What are you doing here? Please tell me this is just a coincidence and then leave.”“You don't think for a second this is a coincidence, Kate. And I'm not leaving without you.”





	1. Dinner Date

“Hey Katharine. Wow, that dress looks amazing on you!”

Kate smiled at the young hostess who accepted her coat with a smile and turned to hang it on the pegs behind her. She had been coming to Connolly's, the small, family run Irish pub and restaurant down the block from campus at least once a week for the past year and was on friendly, first name terms with most of the staff.

“Thanks, Roísín. I saw it in the window of that little boutique your mom recommended and it was love at first sight.”

“Oh I know how that goes.” Roísín grinned widely. “Matt and his friends are already inside, at the window booth closest to the kitchen. And can I just say, if any of my college professors had looked like Matt and those guys, I would never have dropped out. Your view for tonight is spectacular.”

Kate laughed again, giving the younger woman another quick smile before stepping inside the main restaurant.

It was early enough in the evening that the restaurant was pleasantly busy but not overly full as she walked in, her eyes scanning the room for her boyfriend.

She caught sight of him at the corner booth, talking to whoever was sitting facing him, and gesturing wildly with his hands. She smiled fondly at the sight of him, her smile widening as he caught her eye and stood to greet her.

“Katharine, honey, you made it.” He smiled at her, dropping a kiss on to her forehead as he gestured towards the other occupants of the booth. “Honey, this is Doctor Richard Sands and his brother, Seth. Doctor Sands is an expert on South American history and he'll be lecturing at the college for a few weeks. Gentlemen, this is my much better half, Katharine.”

Matt continued to speak but she couldn't concentrate on what he was saying as she took in the sight of the Gecko brothers. Seth was watching her with sly amusement at he sipped from a glass tumbler of whiskey, one corner of his mouth curled up in a smirk as he looked between her and Matt with a raised eyebrow.

Richie was watching her with that same, intense look he'd given her as they stood at the side of the pool at the Dew Drop Inn. He wasn't smiling and he didn't look particularly amused as his eyes followed Matt's hand down her spine and to where it rested against her hip. Kate shot him a warning look before she sat down, allowing her legs to kick out at his briefly before settling. She tried to ignore the way his own legs automatically wrapped around one of hers, trapping her for a few seconds before letting her go.

“Are you okay, honey? You look a little pale.”

Kate smiled at Matt, before taking a sip of the wine he poured for her. “I'm fine, just a little tired. I'm sorry for interrupting the conversation. It looked interesting, what were you boys talking about before I arrived?”

“Richard is an expert in South American cultures. He was filling me in on some of his research with regards to ancient cults and religions.” Matt explained with a wry grin. “I doubt you'd be interested, sweetie. My Katharine doesn't like ancient history – she's a thoroughly modern girl, herself.”

“Oh really?” Richie drawled with a smirk.

He really hadn't changed a bit since she'd last seen him; when she'd let him lean over her and kiss her slowly, before assuring her he'd be back in a few hours.

He still wore those stupid glasses and he now wore that smug, self-satisfied smirk that she hated as he gazed at her, eyes calm and amused as they dared her not to play along. “You don't enjoy stories of ancient gods and secret temples? Captive priestesses and human sacrifice? Prophecies? You know, I could tell you this story about an ancient religion that worshipped snakes. That doesn't interest you at all, Kate? Can I call you Kate?”

“I prefer Katharine.” She replied coolly, meeting his gaze evenly. “And no, I have no interest in anything you have to say about human sacrifice or prophecies. The only interesting thing about snakes is how good they look on a pair of shoes.”

Richie's mouth curved up further in amusement and she turned her face away from him and towards Matt as he chuckled awkwardly. She could see Seth sipping his whiskey out of the corner of her eye, his face amused as he watched her.

“I'm going to go to the bathroom and wash my hands. I changed and came straight from the hospital and I can still smell the antiseptic.” She smiled at Matt as he let her out of the booth, leaning up and kissing his cheek softly and trying to convince herself that her little sign of affection had nothing to do with the Geckos and everything to do with Matt. “I'll be out in a few minutes.”

“Sorry, gentlemen. My Katharine really doesn't like talking about that sort of thing.” She heard Matt chuckle as she kept her pace slow and casual. She raised a hand to wave at Ronan, the restaurant's head chef, and Clodagh, the restaurant manager and Roísín's mother. Both returned the greeting with a smile just as she turned the corner to the empty hallway that led to the bathrooms.

She allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief when she realised that the bathroom was empty, closing the door firmly behind her before making her way towards the cold sinks and resting her back against them, closing her eyes and counting to ten slowly.

Out of habit, her hand rose shakily to the sensitive strip of flesh that ran for two inches on the soft skin of the inside of her upper arm. The skin there was red and shiny, and had never fully healed. She usually kept it hidden in long sleeves so that no one ever questioned how she she got such a painful looking wound. She had told Matt that it was the result of a hairdressing mishap and he'd believed her wholeheartedly. For all the time he spent with his head buried in books about ancient civilisations and cultures, he lived completely in the present and accepted almost everything at face value – it was the most comforting thing about him.

She rested one hand on the sink behind her and the other on her arm, forcing herself to remember why she was in this restaurant, pretending to be someone she wasn't; someone who was normal and happy and didn't flinch every time someone made a hissing noise as a joke.

She'd left the Geckos and Jacknife Jed's just over two years ago; two nights after Richie had pulled her off a stone alter and slaughtered the culebras that had been holding her for two days. They had already taken the flesh from her inner arm, a punishment for her attempts to fight back, and the knife being held to her throat when Richie and Santanico had broken through the door had slipped and buried itself into her collarbone, the culebra holding it hissing in satisfaction at the sound of her scream. The wound had healed into a small scar, easily explained away, but Kate had never been able to forget the burn of it slicing through her skin.

The sacrificial alter hadn't been what made her leave though; she's been through that before, more times than she could count. When they'd finally freed her from Amaru, the blood that flowed through her made her practically irresistible to culebras and more than one had tried to grab her for a taste. Some of the older ones thought sacrificing her on a certain day, in a certain place, would grant them untold amounts of power and she'd learned quickly how to defend herself when her friends wasn't around to do it. Hell, she'd even heard Tanner trying to convince the Geckos how good an idea it would be to sacrifice her; how the old gods would be thrilled for the taste of a soul so pure that it had rejected the queen of hell. She'd been thrilled to hear his body slamming against the wall she'd been leaning against, evesdropping at the door. Neither Seth or Richie had ever mentioned his suggestion, and to her knowledge, he never suggested it again but she could feel him watching her sometimes, hungry and desperate for a taste, and she made sure she was never, ever alone with him.

She was proud of how far she'd come since leaving the Twister a scared little girl, desperate for a direction to go in and clinging to the man who'd kidnapped her with both hands.

Freddie had taught her her basic self defence while they travelled searching for Scott, and even though Amaru was gone Kate had retained most of the memories of her possession, including her ability to fight. Seth had taught her how to shoot a few weeks after everything had calmed down and Richie would sit and watch, shouting out pointers every so often and ignoring Seth's irritated insults until the entire lesson broke down to taunts and insults, while Kate stood to the side and listened with amusement.

She could fight and hold her own, but when the last group of culebras had come for her, they'd done it in large numbers and with an uncommon amount of preparedness. They'd waited until the one night in months that the boys had both gone collecting, Scott had been playing a gig out of town and neither Burt or Freddie had been at Jed's. It had only been her and the usual staff, and she'd been tied up and gagged, in the back of a car, before she'd even been able to draw breath to scream for help. Everything about it screamed set-up and she'd never been able to shake the feeling that someone inside their own little group was involved.

Still, she'd known the boys would come for her; they always did. Even as the knife separated the flesh from her muscle, she'd known they'd come. There was no guarantee they'd be on time, but they'd come. Then Richie had strode in after Santanico, and destroyed the whole group with a ruthless grace she wasn't sure she should admire as much as she did, and she'd felt the relief course through her. He'd had untied her, bandaged her arm and collarbone and carried her to the car, all the while assuring her that he was there, that she was safe. Richie drove while she napped in the back seat and when she'd woken, she heard them discussing what they had learned from the culebras and in her sleepy haze, she'd realised that they had known exactly where she was the entire time and that they'd been biding their time for information to use in the future while she'd been screaming in agony.

She'd been so tired and in such agony that she hadn't even been able to scream at him. She'd wanted to fight with them, to demand that Richie explain to her how he'd been able to stand there and listen to her sobbing and screaming for help and not do anything. She fought tooth and nail to save him, every time he was in danger and she'd always thought he'd do the same for her; hell, up until that point, that was exactly what he'd done. The realisation that maybe he wouldn't had shaken her, and she'd sat in silence in the car listening to them discussing the nest they had just destroyed.

She'd been relieved when they got to Jed's and Seth had started to yell at Richie for running off with Santanico and not taking anyone else with them. Kate had left them to their argument and made her way to her bedroom, dropping onto the bed and curling into herself beneath the covers as she allowed the music and familiar noise from the bar to lull her into an uneasy sleep; amidst the din she could hear Seth shouting and she'd been bitterly glad that at least one of the Geckos cared enough to be worried about her.

She'd awakened, hours later, tucked against Richie. He'd been reading a battered book and smiled at her when she sat up with a yawn, his eyes warm and soft as he watched her gather her things for a shower. Someone had clearly re-bandaged her arm, and there was a soft white dressing over the stab mark on her collarbone. It scared her slightly that she'd slept through the doctor's visit, but she ignored it for now; she had enough to think about as she cleaned off days worth of sweat and dust.

“I would never have let them hurt you.” Richie had told her softly when she returned for her necklace.

“You already let them hurt me.” She had replied bitterly, ignoring his startled look as she'd left him there and returned to her own, smaller room between his and Seth's. She rarely stayed there anymore, hadn't since she and Richie had given in and admitted to everyone else that they were together, but she did that night, locking her door with a sharp click that she knew he would be able to hear from the next room and ignoring Seth's hesitant knocks a few hours later.

She'd left two nights later, while the boys were out chasing a lead on some sort of ancient artefact that Burt had told them about. She'd taken twenty grand from Seth's safe, feeling only slightly remorseful about it as she packed it carefully along with a few pairs of jeans and tops, and one of Richie's expensive white shirts.

She'd gotten a ride as far as Austin with a couple who were leaving the bar at the same time as her, and from there she'd hitchhiked back to Bethel.

The first boy who had demanded she blow him in exchange for a ride had found himself lying on the side of the road, legs tucked against his stomach as he howled in pain. She'd left him there, walking a little further down the highway and sticking her thumb out as a bright purple mini bus drove towards her. It was filled with a group of sorority sisters, on their way back to college from spring break in Mexico.

They'd dropped Kate off right outside the door of her parents house, with a promise to keep in touch and an invitation to join if she ever found herself a student of UT San Antonio. They'd given her a dark purple sweatshirt to wear over her thin vest during the drive, and she still had it and wore it as a reminder that not everyone expected something in return for kindness.

It had taken her weeks to get used to sleeping at night again, and actually doing things during the day but she'd done it in Bethel, and she had finally sorted out her families' remaining business, selling the house and closing out all the bank and savings accounts. She'd visited the church and told the new Pastor that her father had died in a car accident in Mexico and that Scott had met a girl and was living with her in a small town on the other side of the state. She knew he'd spread the word around and that she would no longer receive the curious looks she'd been getting from her neighbours as she cleared out the house; instead the sympathetic looks were almost worse.

When she was done in Bethel, she'd travelled north and finally settled in a smallish city in Maine about a year and half ago. With the money from the sale of the house and the savings she'd had, she'd been able to rent a small apartment in a decent part of the town and she'd used the money she'd taken from the Geckos to pay her way through nursing school. She'd was just about to finish her first year and she loved it; she loved being able to help people and with every person she helped, she felt a little bit of her faith come back. She had a part time job in a book store that allowed her to work around her classes and gave her a little bit more freedom with her money than she would have had otherwise and she'd met Matt by, literally, bumping into him on campus. He was a lecturer in the ancient history department and although she'd been suspicious at first, remembering Sex Machine and his hungry gaze, she'd warmed up to his open friendliness and agreed to go on a date with him a few weeks later. They'd been dating for a little over eight months now and although Kate didn't love him, she wasn't sure she was even capable of normal love anymore, she liked him and respected him, and she knew relationships had been built on less.

The door of the bathroom opened noisily and she turned, unsurprised to see Richie closing it firmly behind him.

She had never expected to see him again; she knew Richie and she knew his pride would be hurt at her having left – she figured he'd forget about her and finally hook back up with Santanico and rule the culebras the way he desperately wanted to and as much as that thought hurt, she figured the two of them deserved each other in a way she and Richie never had. She wilfully ignored the simple platinum band with three small emeralds she'd found in the safe the night she had left, knowing that it was for her and not Santanico; she wilfully ignored a lot of the pleasant memories she had of him – of _them._

Seth showing up unannounced she could imagine, and handle – her relationship with that Gecko had never been quite as complicated as her relationship with this Gecko but truthfully, she didn't think she wanted to see them again; her life was normal and dull, but it was finally hers and she was content with it. The Geckos showing up two years after she'd left them could never mean anything good.

“Hello Kate.”

She shivered at the sound of his voice and the intensity in his eyes and then scowled at herself for allowing him to see how he affected her. She decided anger was better than angst and glared at him, going on the defensive immediately.

“What are you doing here? Please tell me this is just a coincidence and then leave.”

“You don't think for a second this is a coincidence, Kate. And I'm not leaving without you.”

“Oh, I'm sorry but I'm not interested in playing sacrificial bait for your snake queen girlfriend. Find another virgin to torment.” She snapped, turning away from him and washing her hands angrily. She dabbed cool water behind her ears and on the front of her throat, hoping to cool her red face, and watched his reflection as he moved further into the room, her hand resting against the small scar on her collarbone.

“One, she's not my girlfriend, and you know that.” His calm, matter of fact tone made her roll her eyes at him through the mirror. “And two, we both know you're not a virgin, sweetheart.”

“Go fuck yourself, Richard.” She snapped, raising her head to glare at him. He rolled his eyes and took a step closer to her.

“Oh so I'm Richard now, is that it? Not Richie? Or how about God? I always liked it when you call me God.” His smirk was wicked and she was well aware of what he was thinking as he slowly dragged his gaze down to the excruciatingly high silver heels she wore and licked his bottom lip. She ignored the sharp tug of arousal in the pit of her stomach as his gaze returned to hers, eyes darker and heavy lidded as he breathed in and smiled.

“Don't be crude, Richard. Tell me what the hell you want so that I can say no, and then slither on back to Texas.”

He stared at her reflection in silence for a few seconds before grimacing and glancing away, and she watched as the smug look disappeared and she was staring at the _other_ Richard Gecko; the tortured, vulnerable little boy who had never been able to connect with people, who had spent most of his life searching desperately for someone who understood him and had been utterly thrilled to find her. The man who'd wrapped himself around her the night things had finally come to a head after Amaru and apologised over and over for getting her killed, who'd begged her not to hate him and who was so gentle with her that at times she forgot about the string of bodies that had led them to Jacknife Jed's.

“Did you miss me – us- at all? You waited until we were all out and then split. You left me, Kate, after you swore that you loved me, and all you left was a fucking note. I hate you all, leave me the hell alone, signed Kate”

“That is not what my note said.” She sighed. “And what did you expect Richard? You know what, a girl can only be tied to so many alters and offered up as a sacrificial offering so many times before she stops caring and looses the will to live. And she can only allow the people who are supposed to love her, fuck her over so many times before she takes the hint and leaves. You used me, Richard, again, so that you could try and move up a level in your petty little power games.”

“Okay, listen. Listen to me-”

“No. I'm done listening. I was done in Jed's, that's why I left. You made a choice, Richie, and you chose power. Again. So please, leave me out of whatever half cocked plan you people have cooked up this time. I have a life here, and I'm happy. I have no interest in going back with you and being used as Kate-bait again.”

She watched with satisfaction as he winced at the name she'd overheard Burt use once jokingly. She'd been unimpressed with it then and she hadn't grown any fonder of it in the past few years. She startled as she felt him behind her suddenly, glaring at him as he wrapped his hands around her arms and turned her around to face him, looking down at her with the intense look she'd grown to love in Texas; the one that reminded her that no one knew if he'd ever lost that unnerving ability to see what people are thinking – God knows he had always been able to read her perfectly.

“Katie, if I thought for a second you were truly satisfied with this miserable existence and playing happy little houses with that idiot out there, I would genuinely consider leaving you here to rot in happiness, because fuck knows you deserve it. But you're not happy, and I can't. You're coming home with us – something is coming. Something bigger than anything we've seen before and we need to be together, all of us, before it arrives. Please let me protect you.”

“No.”

“Kate-”

“Look, Richard-”

“Are you two finished your little lover's tiff in here? Katie's all American beef cake is getting antsy about his girl's whereabouts.” Seth swung open the door and strode in like he owned the place, but with a stressed look on his face, and for a second Kate pictured him younger and freer and she felt her heart constrict with pain. They had all lost so much when Santanico led them to the Twister and destroyed their lives, including Seth.

“Hey princess, you're looking good.” Seth smiled at her and his gaze was so familiar that she couldn't help herself when she pushed past Richie and stepped into Seth's warm arms. He let out a soft sound of surprise, before wrapping an arm around her and squeezing lightly before releasing her. She ignored Richie's loud huff behind her as she stepped back slightly.

“Look, we can't talk here. We're going back out there, we're going to play the best fucking game of polite strangers this place has ever seen, and then you're going to get rid of Mr Apple Pie and we're going to drop by your apartment later. We'll talk then, okay? Until then, everyone just needs to be cool, got it?”

She stared up at him for a few seconds, before nodding her agreement. The last thing she wanted was for Matt to get suspicious at the length of her absence and start asking questions.

“Richard, got it?” Seth asked again, glaring at his brother. Richie returned his glare, leaning back casually against the sink as he gazed at the.

“Sure, brother. Be cool.”

“Fine. I don't live far from here – the apartment block on the corner of Maple and Chester. Give me an hour after we leave before you show up.” Kate sighed, walking towards the sink furthest from Richie and finally washing her hands. She was thorough; she didn't want to give Matt any reason to question why she'd been in the bathroom this long.

“So you can fuck him before we arrive?”

“Oh Jesus Christ, Richard.” Seth's hand came down hard on the back of his brother's head and Kate was glad that he'd beaten her to it. The bitterness didn't clear from Richie's expression and she found herself angry again.

“It's none of your damn business if I fuck him or not, Richard. Give me an hour before you show up or I swear to God I will stake you through whatever heart you have left and smile while I'm doing it. I'm going out now; give me a few minutes before coming back.”

She didn't wait for an answer, just swung the door of the bathroom opened and striding back to her table. She saw the relief in Matt's eyes as he greeted her with a soft kiss and could feel Richie's gaze on her back as she returned it.

“There you are, I was worried. I'm not sure where Richard and Seth have gotten to, though. He's a strange one, that Richard, but the things he knows... sorry, sweetie. I'll stop now.” Matt smiled at her, brushing her dark hair off her face. “How about you tell me about your day.”

“Not much to tell. I spent most of it at the library, reading up on a few of the subjects I think will come up on the exam. I met Taylor for lunch, she says hi.” She fixed a politely indifferent expression on her face as Seth and Richie returned to the table and made themselves comfortable.

“So, Seth was it? What do you do for a living?”

* * *

 

Matt had managed to stretch the dinner and conversation out for well over two hours before Kate had feigned exhaustion and asked if they could leave. He'd apologised to the Geckos, who had behaved themselves apart from a few off hand remarks from Richie that set her on edge but hadn't called Matt's attention, and they'd hailed a cab to take them back to her apartment.

She hadn't been faking the headache she used as an excuse to send him home with a soft kiss at the door and as she made her way wearily up the three flights of stairs to her apartment, she couldn't help but feel her carefully orchestrated life was about to come crashing down around her head.

She was completely unsurprised to see both brothers sitting on her couch when she unlocked the door to her small apartment, throwing the keys onto the small shelf she kept beside a large mirror.

Seth was drinking a bottle of Matt's beer, his nose scrunched up in disgust as he listened to Richie read aloud from one of her text books. Richie's feet were crossed on her small, wooden table and she scowled as Seth dropped his empty bottle next to them. She wanted to tell him to use a coaster but she could already hear his response in her head and she had enough to fight with them about.

“I knew you wouldn't have given me an hour.” She sighed, slowly unbuttoning her blazer and shrugging it off her shoulders. “You'd have given the whole game away if Matt had come up with me.”

“Surprise. The bank robbers are liars.” Richie said calmly. “And we wouldn't have blown anything. I was sorting of hoping he'd be with you.”

“Leave him alone, Richie.” She replied, just as calmly. “Say what you came here to say and then go back to Transylvania.”

“I told you this would have been easier if you'd let me and Scott come. Kid would have had her half way to Texas by now.” Seth sighed, rubbing a hand over his face before walking towards the kitchen and pulling out another beer. She wants to snap at him for making himself so at home but she can't bring herself to do it.

“Don't talk about him like that.” She said instead. She didn't mention how betrayed she was feeling; Scott knew exactly where she was and he was the only person who could have given the Geckos her whereabouts. She also didn't want to admit to herself that Scott would only give up the information if he genuinely thought she was in danger.

“Like what?”

“Like he's some sort of pawn you can use to make me behave. Scott would have gotten the exact same reaction you're getting because I'm not going anywhere.”

“The exact same reaction?” Richie asked, standing up and walking towards her, his nostrils flaring and his lips curving up with a smirk. His blue eyes were intense as he stared down at her. “Really, sweetheart?”

“You think pretty highly of yourself, Gecko.” She snapped, turning her back to him as she stripped off her jewellery. She managed to ignore him as he stood behind her until she felt his cool hands unlatch her necklace.

“This isn't your cross necklace.” He murmured, his hand moving around her throat to catch the thin diamond pendant, before setting it onto the shelf with the rest of her jewellery.

“I left my cross with Scott.” She replied, shivering slightly as Richie pushed her hair over her shoulder and dropped a soft kiss to her shoulder, his fingers coming to rest momentarily against her scar. She couldn't hide his effect on her; his enhanced senses told him everything and there was no point denying it. She found herself leaning back against him before she realised she'd moved.

“You're lying.” He murmured in her ear and she shuddered as he brushed the delicate shell with his lips, his hands coming to rest possessively on her hips.

“Whatever. Look, it's been a long day that was suppose to end with a nice, relaxing meal with Matt and maybe a soak in the bath, so can you please, please just tell me whatever it is that you're here to tell me and then leave?” She pushed herself away from him, ignoring the way his hands twitched by her hip.

“Come sit down, Kate. The two of you are making me nervous.” Seth patted the spot beside him on the couch and with a sigh she stepped around Richie and dropped into it. “And what's up with Apple Pie calling you Katharine? What's wrong with Kate?”

“There's nothing wrong with Kate but I promised myself I would start over here. Katharine was close enough to my real name to be explained away if the truth got out but she's not Kate. And that was what I needed.” She ignored Richie as he dropped gracefully to the floor in front of her. Her breath caught in the back of her throat as his cool hands pulled her feet out from under her. He unstrapped the uncomfortable shoes she wore and dug his fingers into the aching sole of her left foot, gently setting the right foot on his thigh. She shook herself out of her daze and turned back to Seth, determined to ignore Richie's attempts at reminding her of the past; of the many nights the three of them had been in this position, watching old movies or making plans. “And stop calling him that. You don't even know him.”

She was trying too hard not to react to the massage Richie was giving her to react to the amused look they shared.

“You don't really think we showed up here without casing the place first, did you?” Seth chuckled at the sudden look of outrage on her face. “Princess, we've been watching you for at least two weeks now. Do you know about the good professor's six figure savings account under his father's name? Or about the three DUIs he has – that's why he doesn't drive, by the way. Or about his sweet aunt Bertha, who he visits twice a month, like clockwork?”

“Yeah, I know all of it and I've met Bertha. She hates me – thinks I'm after Matt for the money.”

“Speaking of - “

“Ha, I fucking knew it.” Kate pulled her foot out of Richie's hands, ignoring his soft growl as she stood and faced them. “You're here about the money. Sorry boys, it's long spent and I'm not interested in paying in instalments. Think of it as my fucking hazard pay.”

“You really think we'd chase you the whole way to Maine to get twenty grand back? You really think we'd begrudge you the money?” Seth asked quietly. He almost sounded hurt and she found herself feeling slightly bad. “Years after you stole it?”

“I don't know why you're here, Seth.” She sighed loudly. “Just, tell me what you want and the go.”

“Look, Santanico contacted us a few weeks ago. A few of her girls had stopped checking in and when she investigated, she found a bloodbath. According to everyone's favourite creepy professor, all the signs are leading to something. Something big – bigger than we have seen yet. Santanico recommended we get the band back together; she seems to think that we all need to be there for this and she said whoever this is – or _whatever_ it is- they'll come for you first. She said that because of being possessed by Amaru, you pose the biggest threat to it and it would go for you while you were on your own. Please, Kate. I get that you hate us – we all read the note, okay? It's why we stopped Richie from following you to Bethel – it's why we've kept stopping him, okay? You deserve to be happy, princess, you really do but I've been watching you and you're not happy here, not with that loser. Don't get yourself killed over pride, Katie. Come back with us, help us defeat this thing and if you still want to leave, we'll drive you back here ourselves. Shut up, Richie – yes we will.”

Kate took a deep breath and shook her head, crossing her arms over her stomach as she paced before them.

“Okay, firstly – my note didn't say I hated anyone. In fact, I'm pretty sure it said I loved you all but I had to go.”

“We can read between the lines.” Richie commented sourly.

“Look, I can't go back okay? You cannot ask me to trust that Sex Machine wants me to be in Texas for my own protection. If he wants me there, he has a reason for it and I have no desire to feed into his fucking psychotic delusions. And I don't trust Santanico either. I'm sorry, but no. The band is going to have tour without me.”

“This isn't a discussion, princess.” Seth stood so that he was facing her. He held his hands out in a placating gesture but she could see the tension in his shoulders as he took a step towards her. “There is some serious shit going on south of the border, and we had to take a break from running an empire to come and get you.”

“Excuse me? Don't act like you're doing me any sort of favour here, Seth. If taking a break from running your empire is bothering you that much, by all means don't let me keep you.”

“That's not what I meant and you know it. Don't put words in my mouth, Kate.”

“They're literally the words that just came out of your mouth.” She snapped in reply, taking a step back from him.

She inhaled sharply as Richie approached her from behind, effectively trapping her between the two of them. It was an intimidation tactic she'd seen them do hundreds of times, and it would have worked, except she hadn't been afraid of the Gecko brothers in a long time.

What she wasn't expecting was Richie to spin her suddenly, and for Seth to wrap his arms around her tightly.

“What the fuck are you doing?” She asked angrily, struggling to break out of Seth's grip as Richie approached her slowly, his hand held towards her and a pleading look on his face.

“I'm sorry, but this is for your own good, Kate. You have to come with us.”

“Don't you fucking dare, Richard.”

She tried to twist out of Seth's arms but he held her tight, cursing slightly as she continued to shift. She whimpered in distaste and tried to turn her head away as she watched Richie raise his hand towards her, her own eye staring back at her as she heard him murmur for her to go to sleep for a few hours.

 

* * *

 

 

She woke with a groan.

“What the hell...”

She felt the rumble of a car beneath her and cursed loudly as her memories caught up with her.

“You knocked me out? Your psychotic son of a bitch.” She snapped, pushing herself up and glaring at the back of Richie's head in the passenger seat. She winced at the stiffness in her body and rolled her shoulders awkwardly.

“I didn't want to but we're on a deadline here and you weren't listening to us.” He replied without turning to face her. She scowled at him, ignoring Seth's amused glances in the rearview mirror before diving towards one of the doors, cursing loudly when it didn't open.

“Yeah we figured you'd do that. We got child locks.” Seth commented dryly. “Windows are reinforced glass and Richie removed your knife when he changed you. What the hell are you doing walking around small town Maine with a blade, princess? And why Maine, of all places?”

Kate glanced down at herself and realised she was now dressed in jeans and a man's white shirt, softer and far more expensive than anything Matt owned. It smelt like Richie and she felt tears well up in her eyes as she inhaled silently. She hated him right now but she knew that nothing felt like home the way his scent did.

“Kate?” Seth spoke again and she shook herself out of her thoughts.

“A girl needs to protect herself. Never know when assholes are going to try and grab you on the street. Or in your apartment.”

“How's that working out for you?” Richie's voice was far too amused for her liking and she kicked out at the back of his seat, cursing him silently again.

“And I chose Maine because it gets damn cold there in winter.”

“You grew up in Texas. There's no way you like the cold.” Seth glanced at her through the rear view mirror but she kept her eyes trained on the back of Richie's head.

“I don't, particularly. But I overheard Santanico and Richie talking one day and apparently culebras don't like the cold either. I figured it was the safest bet outside of Alaska or Canada.”

“Okay, here's what's gonna happen now. We're almost home, should make it in time for Nosferatu here to crawl into his coffin. If you try to run-”

Kate sighed loudly, cutting him off. “I'm not the naïve little girl you kidnapped last time, Seth. Don't threaten me when you have no intentions of following through on it. What did you do to Matt?”

“Well, Seth here wouldn't let me do what I wanted to do.” Richie spoke casually, as if they were discussing the weather and she took a deep breath to calm her irritation. “I wanted to rip his fucking throat out but Seth insisted I left him alive.” The look of disgust he gave Seth would have made her laugh under other circumstances.

“We forged a note, figured it was your MO.” Seth told her. His tone was calm but there was bite in his voice that made her realised for the first time that he was angry with her; at least as angry as Richie about the fact that she'd left and, not for the first time, she regretted her hasty decision.

Part of her understood his anger – she had seen the relief on Seth's face, over Richie's shoulder, when they'd finally released her from Amaru; saw the relief he felt that his decision to leave her on that road, by herself, in Mexico hadn't resulted in her actual death and the relief he'd felt when she'd refused Richie's venom, again. They were two humans helping to run an empire of culebras, and the bond they'd forged through those months in Mexico had strengthened during their months together at Jacknive Jed's. She was far too attracted to him to comfortably consider him like a brother but he was the closest thing to a best friend she had, and she had never really considered his feelings when she'd split; she had needed space from Richie and had never even considered speaking to Seth about it because she would never, ever try to come between them. She had seen how badly both of them had reacted to their separation and she never wanted to be the cause of that.

She hated when the two of them used her as a tool to hurt each other during their bickering and arguments; hated that despite the fact that they'd been able to break her free from Amaru, they still tossed blame at one another for it. But mostly she hated how he'd let Santanico convince him that she hadn't been in any real danger that night – she'd lay in bed and listened to him and Richie snap at each other about her and she could hear how much both of them cared; how much they loved her as they argued. But it had only taken an hour or so to calm Seth down and then everything had gone back to normal; the boys had gone to the bar, Santanico had taken off again and Kate had started to make plans to leave.

She'd left because she was scared and angry; scared because she was getting used to being rescued from culebras who were either desperate to taste the Santa Sangre or wanted to knock the Geckos down a few pegs and saw her as the best way to do it. Scared because she knew that eventually, the culebras would get lucky, and the boys wouldn't get there in time to save her, and this time there wouldn't be a queen of hell to bring her back to life. And she was so angry as well; angry that Richie had somehow allowed Santanico to convince him to stand outside the room while she was being tortured, listening for information instead of helping her. She had seen the looks Richie and Santanico had exchanged in the car after they'd rescued her and she knew that they knew something about the culebras who had taken her; her rescue had been delayed because of Santanico's need for revenge and Richie's need for power and she wasn't willing to go through that again. As she sat in the backseat of the car holding a bandage to her arm, she swore that she would never allow herself to be used like that again.

But she knew that she would; she knew that she'd be asked to play Kate-bait again and again, every time someone needed something from her. And she would agree, every single time. Because she still felt so guilty for the pain she'd caused them during her reign as Amaru. Because she felt grateful to each and every one of them, even Santanico and Tanner, for saving her from that hell bitch, and for keeping Scott safe from her while she was possessed.

“Kate? You still alive in there, princess?”

Seth's voice broke into her thoughts and she sighed deeply, one hand reaching up to rub against her forehead. She had to be calm and think this through rationally and she couldn't do that in the car.

“Kate?”

Now Richie had turned in his seat to look at her. She carefully avoided his gaze when she spoke.

“What did you write in the note?”

“That there was a family emergency, and you needed to go and see your brother.” Richie replied and she groaned, covering her eyes with her hands.

“Matt didn't know I have a brother. Tell me you left the savings account alone.”

Their smirks answered her before either of them spoke out loud.

“You bastards.” She sighed. “He's going to think Bertha was right, that I was only in it for the money.”

“We didn't take it all, sweetheart. We left him with about half of it, which is more than he deserves. He has all that money, why the hell you living in that tiny apartment?”

“Because I didn't want any of his money, Seth. And don't try and change the subject.”

“I thought we were talking about his money?” Richie commented dryly.

“No, we're talking about the fact that in one fucking night, you have ruined the life I've spent the last two years building. Now I'm gonna have to start from scratch.”

She ignored the oppressive silence in the car, letting out a shriek when Seth pulled to the side of the road suddenly. Only Richie's quick reflexes stopped her head first fly through the windscreen and the two of them turned to glare at Seth.

“Watch it, brother. Try not to kill Kate before we even get her home.”

“Jesus, Kate, was it really that bad? Living with us? Did you hate us all that much? I know you hate me and Richie but Scott? Peaches? José?”

“Seriously, Seth? I don't hate any of you. Not even you and jackass there and my note did not say that I did. You want to know the truth? The whole, ugly truth?”

“Yes. Spill it, sister.”

She rolled her eyes at Seth, before turning her gaze towards the window beside her and staring at the cars darkness.

“I left because I was angry. Because I know that Richie and Santanico allowed me to lie in that fucking place for two days; no, Richie, don't deny it. You said it yourself, you stood at the other side of the wall and listened to them as they started to fucking flay me alive. You waited until you'd gotten all the useful information you needed to use against them before rescuing me and Santanico? She hates me – she can't see the difference between Kate and Amaru and every time she looks at me she sees me killing Manola, and she wants to hurt me for it. She has been so hell bent on vengeance against the Lords for so long that it's the only thing she knows how to do and that's not even her fault. She should never have had to live like that. I get that and I feel sorry for her; but not sorry enough to let her kill me. So I'm sorry I left, okay? I'm sorry I only left a note – I should have talked to you, Seth, and explained everything but I panicked. I couldn't stay there, not knowing when she'd finally strike, and whose side Richard would be on when she finally did.”

“You really think we'd chose her over you? That we'd let her hurt you?” Seth was angrier than she'd ever seen him when he turned in his seat to face her. She opened her mouth to reply but he cut her off with a shake of his head. “No, you listen to me. Do you know the hell we went through when we thought you were dead? Before we knew anything about Amaru – I thought I'd killed you! I thought I'd left you on the godforsaken road and that had led to your death. If I'd been a better man, if I hadn't gotten fucking high every night, you might have stayed with me and you might have been alive. And asshole over there may not be great at saying it but he _hated_ himself for what happened to you. He thought you died hating him and that might be what finally drove him batshit-”

“Don't call me crazy.” Richie interrupted but there was no heat in his voice. Kate took a deep breath to reply but Seth hadn't finished.

“When we found out that you weren't you, that Amaru was possessing you, he kept talking about how we'd find out if you were still in there, if we could save you. And I kept telling him to knock it off, that Kate, _our Kate,_ was dead and there was only the bitch walking about in her body. I thought I was going to have to look you in the eyes, _your_ eyes not hers, and shoot you.”

“I asked you to, Seth. I would never have held that against you.” She murmured softly.

“But I would have held it against myself, and Richie would never have forgiven me. Kate, she doesn't come before you, _ever._ You're right; I noticed she wasn't getting over Amaru killing her girlfriend and I knew she blamed you and I'm sorry. I should have made it clear whose side I was on a long time ago and maybe you wouldn't have left.” He turned a glare towards Richie but Kate shook her head before he could say anything.

She wasn't in the right frame of mind to listen to this – she was so pissed off at them and while Seth's support meant the world to her, even if it was a few years too late, she couldn't listen to Richie defending his actions again; not without falling apart or saying something they would all regret.

“Look, I'm here now. And I'll stay for however long it takes to sort this mess out, but I'm tired and I'm pissed off and I am done talking about this now, okay? Let's just sleep on it, and we'll talk in the morning, or tomorrow night, I guess.”

“You won't run?” Richie asked after a few minutes silence.

“Would I make it very far?” She responded bitterly. His face fell and she willed herself not to feel bad about it as he turned back around in the seat and faced the front. Seth stared at her for a few more seconds before following suit, and the car rumbled to life beneath them again.

 

 


	2. Jacknife Jed's

Jacknife Jed's hadn't changed since she'd been gone; the noise and bright lights spilled onto the dark road long before Seth pulled into Richard's restricted parking spot.

They'd spent the last forty minutes of the trip in silence, apart from the soft music on the radio, and she was itching to get out of the confined space and away from the amused glances Seth kept giving her in the mirror, and from Richie and the soft, worried looks he kept turning to give her.

She climbed out of the car before it was even turned off, leaning against the door as she gazed up at the place she'd called home for over a year, and took a deep, steadying breath.

She _had_ missed it, despite what the boys thought. She'd missed the small family they'd built for themselves; her and the boys and the staff of the truck stop, human and culebra alike.

Hell, after a bumpy start of them constantly sniffing at her and being told to back off by Seth and Richie, she'd become friendly with the culebras who worked in the bar and for the Geckos' operation. Once they got used to her scent, they'd been friendly and protective of her and she'd even been going to cooking lessons at night with a culebra who looked around the same age as her; she'd left half way through the semester and she wondered, suddenly, if Jordan had kept the classes up.

She'd been willing to give up Richie and Seth when she left, but tonight is the first time she's really considered how much she'd let go of. She wondered if they hated her; José and Peaches and Jordan, or if they even remembered her. She knew José and some of the others were well over the half-century mark, even if they looked like they were in their twenties; she was sure people came in and out of their lives constantly and really, how much of an impression could she have made in that year?

She jumped slightly as the boot of the car slammed behind her, turning to see Richie hiking a large black bag over his shoulder.

“We packed as many of your clothes as we could and arranged for a moving company to pick up the rest later this week.” He told her. “It should all be here by the end of the week.”

“How long was I out for?” She asked curiously, glancing at her watch. It was almost 3.30am but if they'd driven from Maine to Texas, she had no idea of what day it was.

“Just a few hours. Freddie hooked us up with a private flight from a small airport in Maine so we just needed to keep you asleep long enough to get you there.” Seth smirked at her.

“We were pretty sure you wouldn't try to throw yourself out of the plane.” Richie added, nodding towards the bar. “We called ahead. Asked Peaches to sort out your room, change the sheets and all that shit so you can go to bed whenever.”

“How fucking thoughtful of you.” She scowled, glancing at him briefly before shaking her head and making her way towards the entrance, not stopping to see if they followed as she pushed open the door.

The warmth and music settled over her as she looked around and she was hit with a sudden deep melancholy that she had ever given this up.

“They did it. You're actually here.”

She didn't see Scott before she felt herself being lifted off her feet. She allowed herself the comfort of wrapping her own arms around her brother's neck and pressing her face to his shoulder as he tightened his grip, swaying her from side to side slightly.

“I missed you.” She murmured, as quietly as possible. “But I can't believe you told them where I was.”

“I'm sorry, Katie.” He put her down, his smile still bright and happy as he took her in. “I had to. Santanico was seriously freaked out about this thing, and I couldn't let anything happen to you. Not again.”

She rolled her eyes slightly but felt herself soften towards him; towards all of them. She could hear Richie in the background, barking orders at José and an unfamiliar man behind the bar and she saw Seth passing them out of the corner of her eye, heading towards the _staff only_ door in the corner.

“You could have called, Scott.”

“Would you have listened? Seriously, would you have believed me and come back? I had to tell them, Kate. If I'd gone, I'd have let you talk me out of bringing you back, you know I would have. Richie and Seth wouldn't let you brush them off.”

She shook her head with a sigh again. “I need a drink.”

She turned towards the bar, stopping short when she saw Richie leaning against it, watching her.

José had disappeared, leaving just the other man. He was handsome; dark hair and bright blue eyes that were calm and appraising as she approached slowly. She frowned at the slow once over he gave her, raising an eyebrow when he was finished, his nostrils flaring. She could see Richie tense from the corner of her eye, his lip curling up into a snarl as he turned to watch the other man watching her.

“Are you done?” She asked coolly as he leant over the counter towards her, his eyes flashing briefly.

“So you're miss Katie, huh? It caused quite the stir around here when Diosa suggested _you_ might be in danger. Got everyone in a tizzy.” He closed his eyes and took a deep, unneeded breath, and Kate felt her skin crawl in a way she thought she never would again when he looked at her, and she took an unwilling step back. “I've heard stories of the your blood but I always assumed they were exaggerating. You smell delic-”

He choked as Richie wrapped his hand around his throat, his own eyes flashing as he reached across the bar to drag him towards him. She saw some of the truckers at the other end of the bar turned to watch, but no one reacted; too used to this type of scene for it to really upset them.

“You do not sniff at her. Don't look at her and do not even think of fucking touching her. Understand? Good, now repeat it back to me.”

Kate felt Scott touch her shoulder softly and nodded to assure him that she was okay as she listened to the bartender choke out Richie's words. Richie let go of him roughly and she suspected it was only his preternatural grace that stopped him from tumbling against the bottles behind him. Something in his bright gaze told her she hadn't seen the last of him but she wouldn't allow herself to be caught off guard; if he wanted to eat her, he was welcome to die trying.

“Good.” Richie shrugged his shoulders before turned towards her, eyes blue and face calm again. He wrapped an arm tightly around her hips, nodding to Scott before leading her away from the bar and towards the door into the back.

She tensed, but didn't fight him on his possessive gesture; she knew he was making a statement to any of the culebras who hadn't been here before – Kate was with the Geckos and she was not to be bothered.

She preferred that they get that message sent as quickly and as easily as possible – she had no interest in going through what she had the last time; the constant attention she received when each new culebra she met got a whiff of the blood still running through her veins. She had gotten sick of the flaring nostrils and flashing eyes, and sick of the fights between the culebras and the boys when the snakes got too close. She had zero interest in washing bits of culebra out of her hair ever again, so she'd rather they were all informed now.

“Is Scott in danger?” She asked softly as he held open the staff door for her. He had dropped his hand to the small of her back and she shivered at the cold touch, ignoring the way his mouth ticked up in pleasure at the slight movement.

It had taken her a long time to get used to how hot Matt's hands were when they started dating; she'd been so used to Richie's cool, calloused touch on her skin that Matt's had felt wrong somehow, too warm and too soft, and God knows his hands had never been able to elicit the same reaction from her as Richie's had.

“He'll be fine. Kid's been training with Burt and you should see him fighting. I always said he looked like Bruce Lee, and the similarities are getting clearer.” There was pride in his voice as he talked about Scott and for the first time since she'd seen him, Kate found herself smiling up at him.

The shock, and the utter hope, on his face wrecked her and she had to look away before she gave in and said something she would regret.

It had been much easier hating him when she hadn't been surrounded by all the things that had made Jacknife Jed's their home; the familiar clanging noises from the kitchen and the rushing back and forth of the waitresses and servers. She could see the movie posters than lined the hall and remembered the night Richie had talked her through each one, when she'd been unable to sleep because of nightmares and needed a distraction. He'd tucked her against his side and gave her a brief synopsis and review of each movie, until they'd made their way into the office and she'd fallen asleep tucked against him.

 _That_ was exactly the type of memory she needed to avoid if she was going to get out of this unscathed.

“Look, Jake's new. He's only been here a couple weeks and he doesn't know all the rules yet. Scott's gonna set him straight but if he comes near you again-” Richie pulled her to a stop just outside the Geckos' office. “You stake him through the fucking heart, you hear me?”

“If who comes near her again?” Seth stepped out of the office, José following him with the black ledger in his hands.

The handsome culebra winked at Kate over the Geckos' shoulders and she found herself grinning at him, happy that there was no judgement in his eyes as he looked her over. It didn't creep her out or bother her in the way that Jake's had – she knew José was making sure that there were no scratches on her.

“Hola, Kate. You are looking well.”

“Hey José. How are you?”

“Much better now that you're home.” He stepped around Seth and Richie, and lifted her hand to his lips for a quick peck. Neither of the Geckos reacted and Kate grinned at him before he tipped his head towards them, heading back out towards the bar.

“We need new staff.” Richie muttered, pushing past Seth and stepping into the office. Kate followed him, glancing around the room briefly, before setting herself on Richie's chair and resting her legs on his desk. He glanced at her, raising an eyebrow as he held up the whiskey decanter. She nodded, yawning suddenly as she accepted the tumbler of dark liquid and took a sip. It burned down her throat and she welcomed the blissful peace she knew a few glasses of good whiskey would provide her.

“What happened in the bar?” Seth asked, closing the door of the office quietly so that it was just the three of them.

“Your new barman thinks I smell delicious. Richie threatened him.” Kate muttered into her glass. “I think Scott's threatening him now.”

“He did what?”

“Scott's taking care of it, brother.” Richie told Seth calmly before turning towards Kate, glancing down to where her feet rested. “Comfortable?”

“Not particularly.” She replied, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him childishly. He smirked at her knowingly and she narrowed her eyes at him before downing her whiskey and holding out her glass. Richie narrowed his eyes at her, but took the glass and re-filled it before handing it back to her and watching as she drank it in two gulps.

“Easy there, princess.” Seth muttered from across the room.

He was pretending to look at something on his desk, but she could see the tense set of his shoulders and the way he twitched at every little noise she made. His full attention was on her and Richie and she felt a little bad about the fact that he was home for the first time in weeks, and he's too busy making sure she and Richie don't implode to relax.

She pushed herself up and walked over to the decanter to pour herself another glass. Whiskey in hand, she turned back towards the Geckos.

Richie hadn't moved from his spot beside his desk but he'd turned to watch her, concern in his gaze as he looked from her face to the whiskey and back again. Seth had given up the pretence of reading and was staring at her with a small frown on his face.

“I'm going to have a shower and go to bed. When you get up tomorrow we're all going to sit down and figure out how this is going to work. You're going to tell me everything, got it?”

She didn't wait on a response, just carried her whiskey out of the office with her and wandered down the hallway towards her room.

Peaches had gone all out in the room and the sight of the freshly painted, light green walls made her wonder how long ago the Geckos told her to get it ready. The window was opened, and had been for a while, so the room was freshly aired and smelt of lavender; she could see her favourite lavender and lemon candle sitting on the shelf and smiled at how thoughtful Peaches was.

The sheets on the bed were new, and someone had put on a new quilt cover with pretty green and blue swirls, which matched the new painting on the wall above the bed. The black bag Seth had been carrying was sitting neatly at the bottom of the bed and she opened it with a sigh, pulling everything out of it before cursing whichever one of the idiots had packed her bag.

Winter in Maine was far too cold to sleep in shorts and clearly whichever Gecko had packed her bag hadn't thought of how much hotter it would be in Texas; none of her short pyjama sets had made it into the bag and from what she'd pulled out, there was only a few dresses and light clothes.

She was going to take vindictive delight in making them pay for new clothes, she decided with a grin as she took another sip of her whiskey and grabbed some clean underwear and a t-shirt that would do her to sleep in.

Her own room didn't have an ensuite but it shared a door with Richie's room and his did. She knew he and Seth would be going over the books and what they'd missed for the next few hours so she was safe to shower there and be back in her own room before he knew.

Even though the residential part of the base was reserved for Richie and Seth's closest colleagues, there was always a chance of running into a random culebra or guest, and Kate wasn't comfortable enough wandering around on her own just yet. She gathered up her things and opened the door to Richie's room, stepping inside quickly.

She tried to resist the urge to look around, to loose herself in the memories and feelings she had about _this_ room; the room that she had shared with Richie.

It, like almost everything else, hadn't changed much in her absence.

His bed was still against the same wall and the bookshelf facing it was more full than it had been. There were a pile of DVDs stacked on each of the six shelves he'd had put up on the wall, and there was a new movie poster on the wall that backed onto her own room.

In fact, she realised with narrowed eyes, the movie poster looked as if it was in the exact same spot as her own new abstract art print.

She dropped her pyjamas onto the bed and took a step closer, carefully un-sticking the poster from the wall and snorting as she looked through the hole it was hiding; blocked on the other side by her new abstract painting.

She could almost picture him in her head; punching straight through the wall when he came back from collecting and realised she was no longer there. It caused her stomach to clench in what felt uncomfortably like guilt, but she pushed the feeling aside and glanced around the rest of the room.

He'd left his closet door open and the sight of hangers full of the same dark suits made her smile before she noticed a familiar purple bottle sitting on his shelves and she frowned as she realised it was the perfume she had worn while she was here.

She hadn't worn perfume often, but Richie had always liked the smell of this particular brand, and had bought her a bottle. She would have thought that it was the same bottle she'd left behind but as she lifted it there was no dust ring and it smelt exactly the same as it had the last time she'd worn it – she hadn't worn it in Maine; associating it with Richie and the Geckos and her life in Texas, she'd swapped it for something lighter and more floral – something that fit her new life as Katharine, the part time nursing student.

Maybe he had a girlfriend who used it – hell, maybe Santanico used it when she was here; Kate refused to acknowledge the way her stomach twisted unpleasantly at the thought of either of those options.

Except... maybe it was naïve of her, but everything he'd said and done that night made her think there wasn't anyone else.

His possessiveness and jealousy with Matt she would have expected, girlfriend or not, because Richie was a jealous, possessive guy. It was part of what made him so intense and as much as it irritated Kate at times, she would never ask him to be anything less than himself. But the soft, hopeful looks he kept giving her and his insistence that they talk about why she left – that made her think he was hoping that she would stay for good.

But none of that explained the perfume, she thought as she picked it up and sniffed it again. The idea of strange women using the same perfume she used to wear while in Richie's room made her skin crawl and she tried to convince herself it wasn't _her_ possessive and jealous side coming out.

Not that she would ask him about it – that would show him that she cared, and she wasn't willing to risk his reaction to _that_.

She sat the perfume down, careful that it was in the exact spot she'd picked it up from, before lifting her pyjamas again and stepping into the bathroom.

She could feel the whiskey coursing through her now, and felt her entire body relax as she stepped under the hot water.

She stood under the spray and let the hot water beat against her for at least forty minutes, only getting out when her skin felt sensitive to ever drop of water. The whiskey and hot water had done their job and despite her forced nap earlier, she found that she was tired.

She borrowed Richie's toothbrush after a quick internal debate, brushed her teeth and dressed quickly in the bathroom and left, jumping slightly when she saw Richie sitting cross legged on his bed.

She hadn't expected to see him for hours; he was still dressed in his shirt and tie but he'd taken off his jacket, and was missing his shoes and socks. He had rolled the sleeves of his white shirt up and something about the sight of his forearms and bare feet made the room feel too intimate and close and she knew she needed to leave - _now_.

She wasn't sober or coherent enough to have a rational conversation with him; especially not when he looked like _her_ Richie, soft and beautiful and watching her with warm intensity, instead of the deadly, graceful creature who could destroy someone with a flick of his hand.

“I didn't want to use the main bathroom. Didn't know who I might run into.” She explained softly, before he could ask.

“That's smart but you don't have to worry. Scott's spread the word that you're back and not to be bothered.” He replied, standing smoothly and tucking his hands into his pockets. “Although you can keep showering here, if you prefer. It's up to you.”

They stared at each other in silence and Kate suddenly wished desperately that Seth was there to act as a buffer between them, as he had been doing most of the night.

“I know you want to talk about everything tomorrow, with Seth and Scott too, but I think you and I should have a talk as well. Just the two of us.”

Kate watched as his licked his lips nervously and felt her heart ache again.

Because of all his confidence and swagger, it was easy to forget that Richie had such a hard time connecting with people. He made off hand jokes within the small team they'd built and could order his culebras around as if he'd been doing it all his life but there was a part of him that was still an awkward little boy who had no friends other than his brother and who'd been relieved to meet her and realise that he _could_ connect with other people – they just had to be the _right_ people.

She knew that he'd thought Santanico was one of them, and had been bitterly disappointed to find out that what he'd taken as a genuine connection with the stunningly beautiful woman who had chosen him to rescue her had simply been a manipulation on her part.

There was a small part of Kate that had always wondered if his affection for her had been partly from relief that they'd shared a connection from the moment they'd met and partly from the guilt of getting her shot by Carlos. It had taken him, guiltily, admitting that he'd been fantasising about her since the moment they'd met and many, many nights of him worshipping her to assure her that he wanted _her_ , and not the connection.

“Yeah, I guess we should.” She nodded, tugging at the bottom of her t-shirt. She felt her cheeks colour as his eyes followed the movement briefly, before meeting hers again. “You, uh, didn't pack any weather appropriate pyjamas.”

“Whoops.”

She glared at the amused look on his face, before rolling her eyes. “Yeah, well you'll be bankrolling my shopping trip tomorrow, buddy.”

“Whatever you need, Kate.” He replied smoothly. “I'll leave money at the bar.”

She scowled at his easy acceptance before nodding. “Thanks. I'll be back before it gets dark and we can talk.”

She lifted her hand in an awkward wave and went to step past him, but he caught her arm easily and pulled her back to face him.

“You were right – Santanico convinced me to wait before we went in to save you. I didn't want to but she pointed out how well organised the attack was and how much they knew about us, and she insisted we needed to know more about who had ordered it before we killed them and it just, it made sense to me at the time but I shouldn't have listened. I should have been there and I should have fucking slaughtered them before they ever touched you. I'm – fuck Kate, baby, I'm so fucking sorry, okay? You have to know I'd never have stood there and let them fucking skin you alive if I'd known -”

“You're missing the point, Richie.” She cut him off sharply.

He stared down at her, eyes wide and imploring and so fucking blue that her breath caught in her throat and she had to clear it before she could continue.

“Did you know that I was supposed to take her place in the labyrinth? Carlos told Scott and he told me. My blood was so pure that it would have satisfied the Lords while they escaped. Everything up until that point – us meeting you and Seth,and you kidnapping us and taking us to the Twister, they manipulated it all. Hell, there are times when I wonder if she killed my mom, just to set us on the right path. She has been manipulating my life for years now, but before I was just a means to an end, a stupid little girl she could throw to the wolves while she went free but now? Now, she hates me and I'm done with it – I am done with being collateral damage for the schemes she comes up with. I know she played a huge part in rescuing me from Amaru and don't think I'm not grateful but it's not fair to ask me to live with the constant threat of her hanging over me, and that's what it feels like, being back here. I'm waiting on her walking back through the fucking doors, with another half thought out scheme that ends with me on another altar and you'll come for me, I know you will and I've always known that but one of these times it'll be too late and I'm not lucky enough to come back from the dead twice.”

“Why do you believe Seth when he says that he wouldn't let her hurt you, but not me? Is it because you think Seth is better than me? That he-”

“Don't do that! Don't try and put me in the middle of you and your brother, I fucking hate it when the two of you do that and you know it.”

They stared at each for a few minutes in silence, and Kate could feel her heart pounding against her ribs.

This was the exact conversation she had avoided by leaving, and up until she'd seen them in the restaurant, she'd thought she had avoided it forever. She had _never_ wanted to hurt Richie needlessly; sure she was angry with him but she loved him, and she never wanted to be the one to cause him any pain. Allowing him to think she trusted Seth more than him hurt him, she knew it did. She knew he hated to be seen as the crazy brother; the one who couldn't be trusted on his own because he could go off the rails at any time. The Geckos worked best as a team, but Richie had a chip on his shoulder about the way people viewed them and sometimes that affected them.

Their team had started out with the two of them and it had grown to include her and Scott, Burt and Freddie and even Tanner when he wasn't off terrorising co-eds. They each had their strengths and their weaknesses, but one of Richie's biggest issues was his bitterness about people automatically assuming Seth was the rational one and Kate knew her opinion mattered to him a hell of a lot more than most people's – he didn't want her to think he was crazy. He never had; it was why he'd been so careful with her in the RV and at the Twister. And she _didn't._ She had never thought of him as crazy – not ever when she'd been terrified of him.

But it wasn't Seth that had been manipulated by Santanico for all those months; it wasn't Seth's head that she had gotten into, coercing him into doing her bidding and turning him into a snake and it wasn't Seth who had run about with her for months, doing her bidding and helping her out with her desire for revenge.

For all his faults, and Seth Gecko was the first person to admit that he had a fuck ton of faults, he didn't take everything Santanico said as gospel, not in the same way that Richie did, and that meant that Kate could easily believe him when he promised to be on her side. She had never seen Richie stand up to the snake queen, not in any real way that mattered, and so she wasn't sure she could trust him.

“You don't trust me?” He asked quietly, hurt dripping from every word and she sighed and closed her eyes. She _hated_ when he read her like that.

“I don't trust _her_. Richie, I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose, okay? I do. But she would and I'm terrified that she'll use you to do it.”

“That's not fair, Kate.” His soft voice broke her and for the first time in years, Kate felt tears well up and spill over.

She let him tug her into him, rested her head against his shoulder as she sobbed uncontrollably, letting the tension leak out of her with every tear that dripped onto their joined hands.

_This_ is what she had wanted to avoid when she'd left – she had been so pissed off and scared, but she'd also wanted to avoid having to explain to Richie that she wasn't sure she could trust him anymore and see that devastated look on his face. 

Tomorrow she would blame it on the exhaustion seeping into her bones and the whiskey she'd drank, but for tonight she let Richie tug her onto his lap as he sat down again, and buried her face in his neck in an achingly familiar position that made her sob harder.

The night they'd come back to Jacknife Jed's after freeing her from Amaru, Richie had found her sobbing in the kitchen, one hand over her mouth and one against the wall to keep her upright as she shook wildly.

She'd managed to hold herself together through the small party they'd held in the office before excusing herself and he had followed her after she'd been gone awhile, and found her in the middle of her (first) break down. It was the first time they'd been alone together since they'd gotten her back and he'd lifted her easily, carrying her through the empty hallways to his bedroom, where he'd tucked her against him and let her sob into his shoulder.

He'd spoken to her in soft, comforting tones; apologising for everything that happened at the blood well and promising her that she'd be okay, that she was strong enough to get through it and that he'd be there every step of the way.

When she'd taken the time to look back, that was the night that had made her realise that she could love Richard Gecko; and the subsequent nights they spent in the same position had cemented the idea.

“We're gonna work this out, Kate.” His soft murmur against her hair brought her back to the present, and she reached up to wipe her eyes. “I'm not letting you walk away again.”

“Richie...”

She pushed herself up and out of his arms, sighing when his hand found hers and tugged her back.

“The idea of me choosing her over you is bullshit, Katie. She used me and manipulated me and she hurt all of us. I'm not going to let her do it again.”

She stared at him for a few seconds; there was nothing in his steady gaze that implied he was being anything other that completely sincere, but it wasn't his sincerity she was worried about. He stood up, taking her with him, and ran his fingers through her damp hair.

“Go to bed, sweetheart. We'll talk later.”

She allowed him to walk her to the door they shared, glancing back at him once before closing it firmly behind her and climbing into bed.

Despite her tiredness, she stared at the ceiling for what seemed like an age before finally drifting into a restless sleep.

* * *

She awoke with a headache, reaching over to check her phone for messages from Matt before realising she had no idea what the boys had done with her phone or if they'd even thought of bringing it.

“Shit.” She muttered, rubbing her hands over her eyes before pushing herself up into a sitting position.

There was a clock on the table next to her, and she winced as she saw it was already late morning. “Guess it won't take me as long as I thought it would to get back on the night schedule.”

She pushed herself out of bed and dresses quickly in jeans and a vest, glancing at the door between her room and Richie's before deciding that the main bathroom would work for brushing her teeth.

She was thankful that she didn't run into anyone in her way there or back, and hoped that her luck held out and she could go shopping before anyone noticed.

She was surprised, and vaguely irritated, to see Seth already awake when she made it out to the bar, sitting at a booth with his laptop in front of him as he sipped at a cup of coffee.

“Morning, Katie.” He drawled, before clicking his fingers towards the bar. “Samantha, do me a solid and get Kate here some coffee and something to eat.”

Kate rolled her eyes as the pretty, human, blonde waitress smiled at Seth as she brought over a cup of coffee.

“You want the full breakfast, honey?” Samantha drawled in a slow, Southern accent.

She looked like she was in her early twenties and Kate bit back her retort at being called 'honey' by someone her own age. It wasn't Samantha's fault that she was back here and there was no need to be rude.

“Just toast, please.”

“You gotta eat more than toast, Kate.” Seth argued, motioning for Samantha to stay where she was. “You're too skinny – Apple Pie not let you eat or what?”

“Seth, I say this with all due respect to you – which isn't much admittedly, but mind your own damn business. Toast, and orange juice if you have it. Please.”

She waited until Samantha had left before meeting Seth's gaze. She ignored the worry she saw there and gave him a hard look.

“We need to get something straight.” She tapped her fingers against the table. “I'm not a seventeen year old kid anymore, Seth. You don't get to dictate what I eat or what I do. You don't get to dictate anything, got it?”

He sighed, closing his laptop over and pushing it aside to focus entirely on her.

“The last time you were that skinny was when you stopped eating after Amaru. Forgive me for being worried about you.”

It was Kate's turn to sign but she bit back her remark as Samantha delivered her toast and juice, along with a cup of coffee and a refill for Seth.

She wasn't being fair to him and she knew it. Seth was right, she had been loosing weight recently but it was down to her schedule – she went from class to her job to home and there were days she just forgot to eat. It wasn't on purpose and to be honest, she hadn't noticed exactly how skinny she'd been getting but she knew if she let them, the Geckos would blame everything on Matt and she couldn't allow that.

It was bad enough that she'd likely never see him again and he'd hate her when he realised she was gone and so was half his fortune, she didn't want anyone thinking badly of him.

Still, Seth had managed to stop Richie from killing him, so he deserved some civility.

“I'm fine, Seth. I eat fine, I swear.” She softened her tone before biting into the toast. “I just can't eat after drinking, you know that.”

He stared at her for a few more seconds, his dark eyes knowing and concerned, until she looked away to take a sip of coffee.

“I need to know what you arranged to have packed from my apartment so I can figure out what I need to tide me over until it arrives.”

“We told them to pack everything. There's another bag in the car, I think, with pyjamas and underwear and shit. Richie wasn't willing to let the delivery people rummage through your unmentionables so he packed them.”

Kate shook her head in partly amused, partly exasperated disbelief as she thought of the smirk on Richie's face last night when she'd complained about not having any pyjamas. He could be such a dick.

“Where's my phone?”

“Richie has it, I think. He took it when he changed you.”

“You know how creepy that is, right? Undressing someone when they're unconscious?”

“I figured you'd rather him than me, princess. You have nothing he hasn't seen before.” Seth smirked at her again and she resisted the strong urge to throw her toast at his face. “When do you want to go shopping? I'll drive you.”

“I'm not going to run, Seth. Not until we sort this shit out.” She sighed, finishing her coffee. “You can't follow me everywhere I go.”

“And I won't. But you need to go shopping and you have no car, no cash and no phone until Bela Lugosi gets up tonight. Let me take you.”

There was a sincerity in his eyes that made her smile softly and nod.

“Fine. But no complaining and no trying to rush me.”

“Would I ever?”

She found herself chuckling at him at his mock outraged tone and then felt the same sharp pain she'd felt last night when his gaze turned hopeful, the same way Richie's had when she'd smiled at him and she was struck again by how much she had hurt them when she left.

“Alright then. You ready to go, princess?”

She followed him out to a sleek black car and climbed in, shivering slightly at the sense of deja vu that washed over her as he climbed in after her. She rested her head against the back of the seat, closing her eyes against the bright sun.

“Here.”

She opened her eyes and found Seth holding out a familiar pair of sunglasses .

Richie had seen the cat's eye sunglasses in a little store when he'd been out collecting on the other side of the state and had stolen them for her, presenting them to her with a bouquet of orchids, a box of her favourite chocolate covered raisins and an apology for leaving while she'd been sleeping.

He'd always done that; presenting her with little gifts that made her smile and then shout at him for stealing when he could easily afford the stuff. It was a game they played; he gave her something, she smiled and kissed him before asking if he paid for it, he said no and she jokingly yelled – she was never serious and he knew it, and she always let him distract her from her rant with soft kisses and roaming hands.

“He kept them.” She murmured as she sat them on her nose and pulled down the sun visor to check her reflection.

“He kept everything, princess.” Seth told her, just as quietly. “Listen, not for nothing but he really is sorry about what went down on that last – during the last attack.”

“You're his wingman now?”

“Look, all I'm saying is I get why you needed space. I don't like it and I'd have done my goddamn best to make you stay with us if I'd known, but I do get it. I just think you're being a little unfair on Richie. You know how he feels about you; don't say that you don't.”

“I have never denied knowing how Richie feels about me, Seth. And I've never denied how much I love him – but love isn't always enough.”

“After all the shit we've been through, love is better than nothing. It's better than hiding out in a state you don't like with a dick who isn't good enough for you and is hiding half his fucking life from you. It's better than running away and hiding from your family. We may not be much and we're probably not what you wanted, but we're all we've got sweetheart.”

Kate took a deep breath and tried to shake off Seth's words. She knew she had hurt him, hurt all of them by leaving, but he wasn't being fair.

“He threw her out, you know.”

She looked at him in surprise, raising an eyebrow over her sunglasses.

“Santanico. Kisa. Whatever the fuck her name is these days. She came for a visit a few months after you left and they had a huge fight and he kicked her out, told her not to come back. And she didn't, up until she dropped by a few months ago to give us a heads up about the new threat.”

“He didn't mention any of this last night.”

“He thinks you don't trust him and didn't see the point.”

“Aww, did the two of you talk about me after I went to bed? Did you braid each other's hair and swap stories of heart break and giggle over the other girls?”

“Sure. And we painted our nails and watched Thelma and Louise.” Seth dead-panned back at her. “Look, all I'm saying is that you're pretty sure he's going to let Santanico rule over him in order to hurt you. You've met Richard, right? Tall, wears glasses and probably the most stubborn jackass you'll ever meet? If he doesn't want to do something, Santanico isn't gonna be able to make him.”

“She made him wait-”

“She convinced him to wait and with what it cost him, that's not a mistake he's willing to make again. Look, when we found out you were taken while we were gone, we all went a little crazy, okay? Scott, Richie and I... we went nuts, alright? It felt like we'd just got you back and you were gone again and – it was shit, Kate. Santanico was the only one who made any sense – she was the one who said it was probably an inside job. She was the one who figured out that it was probably Marty – you remember the cook, right? I think you left before we told you it was him. Santanico tracked down the snakes who took you and sure, Richie made a mistake by listening to her when they got there but by that point, she was the one making the most sense out of all us.”

She stared at the window as he spoke, her mind racing through her interactions with Richie so far. She'd interrupted him every time he'd started to talk about what had happened; she hadn't given him a chance to explain it from his side but while Seth's words made sense, she still wasn't convinced.

“Look, I'm not saying you jump straight back into a relationship with the guy, although you'd be doing us all a fucking favour if you did; I'm just saying give him a chance to talk to you, okay?”

She didn't answer him, just sighed and tucked her knees up under her chin as she stared out the window.

She couldn't promise Seth anything; yesterday she had been so angry and so sure of herself that she'd snapped and bit at the two of them but after her conversation with Richie last night and now this one with Seth, she was left feeling unsure of herself, and not as righteous as she thought and she _hated_ feeling that way.

Seth was right; they had literally been through hell together, first in the Twister and then with Amaru and all the shit in between and while they weren't the family she'd expected to have when she'd been growing up in her happy, preacher's daughter childhood, she couldn't say they weren't good to her or that she hadn't been happy during her time at Jed's.

Two bank robbing brothers had kidnapped her and then kept her and somewhere down the line, she'd fallen for one of them and allowed the other one to worm his way inside her heart until he was her best friend; she didn't know if she suffered from Stockholm syndrome or they suffered from Lima syndrome but either way they were a family. Seth's voice broke her out of her thoughts and she turned to look at him.

“Hey, kid. If nothing else, I'm glad your home.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for everyone who has reviewed and left kudos :) I'm glad people are liking it so far! 
> 
> I had hoped to get this up a little earlier but RL intervened. 
> 
> Again, all mistakes are my own and if you see anything I need to fix, please let me know. Unfortunately, I don't own the FDTD characters :(


	3. The General

She let herself get lost in wandering through the familiar mall for hours, but she didn't actually buy that much.

Seth kept his word and (mostly) avoided grumbling as they went from store to store, but she didn't really want to buy that much when she knew her stuff would be arriving in a few days and the vindictive pleasure of spending Richie's money had worn off when he'd offered it so willingly last night.

She did insist that Seth take her for a coffee before they went back to the truck stop, though, and smirked at him as he stood in line, staring straight ahead and acting as if the teenage girl behind the counter wasn't making heart eyes at him as she made their coffees.

“You're not funny.” He muttered at her as they left the shop, coffees in hand. Both coffees has _Seth_ written on the side, along with a quickly scrawled telephone number and the name Amy beneath it.

“Poor Seth Gecko. Can't even go for coffee without being hit on.” She mocked cheerfully. “Must be so hard for you, buddy.”

“Shut up, she was about fourteen. What is she even doing, giving her telephone number out to complete strangers. I could be a serial killer, for Christ's sake.”

“Or a creep who abducts teenage girls.” Kate agreed, smirking at the glare he shot her. “Oh wait, you _are_ a creep who abducts teenage girls.”

One of the first rules she had set herself after getting her body back was that she would not use the past as a weapon to hurt the Geckos or Scott.

The Gecko brothers were good men; they were rude and misguided and quick to anger but they were also loyal and protective and she had once seen Seth carry an old lady's groceries to her car for her when they'd seen her struggling out of the market (and God, she had teased him for weeks when the old lady had given him a kiss on the cheek in thanks and had left a dark peach stain on his tanned cheek; Richie had laughed for hours).

The Geckos had led to the destruction of Kate's family, but she knew it hadn't been intentional and it would have been hypocritical of her to blame them for it, especially with how she had betrayed Freddie in order to help Scott.

Seth had sworn to her once, as he lay drunk in one of the nicer Mexican motel rooms they'd had, that he would have let them go in the morning. His plan had been to meet Carlos, get their one way ticket to El Ray and then release the Fullers.

He had never expected to run into _fucking Mexican snake bloodsuckers_ and he had never expected the night to end with only one Fuller still, technically, alive.

Kate hadn't forgiven him then; she'd stared at him in silence and wondered how he would react if she smashed the glass bottle of Corona he was drinking from over his head.

But she did believe him, eventually, just like she believed Scott when he'd lay beside her on the back of a pick up truck one night and apologised for everything that had happened. He had apologised for trusting Carlos over her, and for making her bury Jessica and kill the homeless man. There had been tears in his eyes as he'd looked at her and apologised for getting her shot and she'd meant it when she told him she forgave him.

Richie's apology had come a few days later; she'd just climbed out of the shower and was brushing her hair in his bathroom, humming an old country song to herself as she ran the comb through the tangles and he'd approached, leaning against the door as he watched her.

_I'm so sorry, Kate._

She'd caught his eye in the mirror and nodded her acceptance of his apology, but he had shaken his head in disagreement.

_There's so much I need to apologise for. I'm sorry for killing Monica, for dragging you and your dad and Scott into this whole fucking mess. I'm sorry for scaring you at the pool and I'm sorry for not being stronger at the Twister, for not being able to let you go when you asked. I'm sorry for the blood well – for not being fast enough and I'm sorry that if you'd stayed alive a few minutes longer, I would have ignored what you wanted and turned you anyway. I'm sorry that I'm not selfless enough to give you up, Kate._

His apology had thrown her because while she'd been expecting an apology, she had assumed it would be a generic one. Instead Richie had listed every single thing he felt that he needed to atone for, on top of the things he wasn't willing to apologise for. Somehow, Richie telling her that he wouldn't apologise for keeping her had made her believe that he _was_ sorry for everything else.

So she never threw it in their faces, the fact that they'd destroyed her family and eventually gotten her killed and possessed by the queen of hell, because she had seen how hard both of them had fought, alongside Scott and the rest of the rag-tag bunch of culebras and humans they'd managed to recruit, to release her from Amaru. She'd seen it every time they'd come face to face and although she'd told Seth that she didn't forgive him during their torture session (the one thing they didn't talk about), she found that she _had_ forgiven them.

Richie had told her she was too nice for her own good, when she'd admitted to him that she forgave them for everything a few weeks into their new relationship.

He'd kissed her slowly, tugging her onto his lap, and told her she was the single sweetest thing on the face of the earth (Kate had bit his lip, hard, and told him not to mock her - he had earned himself further forgiveness a few minutes later by pushing her back against the wall and dropping to his knees infront of her). Seth had told her she _shouldn't_ forgive them, because they were bad people and didn't deserve it (she'd rolled her eyes and asked him what the point of her not forgiving them, when they clearly hadn't forgiven themselves?).

But just because she didn't throw it in their faces, didn't mean she wasn't willing to mock them about it.

“You're not funny.” He told her seriously, climbing into the car. “And don't spill any of your goddamn coffee on my leather.”

She rolled her eyes but found herself smiling as she buckled up.

Her afternoon had been pleasant enough; after their conversation on the way to the mall, Seth hadn't brought Richie up again and they'd spent most of their trip making small talk. It was weird; she and Seth had shared more than most married couples but walking beside him that afternoon had been like walking beside a distant relative; you were friendly and courteous but you never crossed the line into intimacy. Her crack about him kidnapping teenagers was the first real mention of the past and part of her hoped that it was enough to break the tension.

“Scott's going to meet us at Jed's and we'll talk everything through.” Seth told her suddenly, before nodding down at his phone. “Peacekeeper's on his way too. Should be there by the time we get back.”

“Freddie?” Kate felt her face turn up in a happy smile, ignoring the way Seth glanced at her with irritation.

After Amaru, Kate had spent a weekend with Freddie in Austin. They had sat down and cleared the air between them; she'd apologised for betraying him and he'd apologised for not understanding that all she wanted to do was help her brother. Hearing Freddie tell her he understood why she'd done it had lifted a weight she hadn't realised she'd been holding onto.

Neither of the Geckos had been particularly pleased when she'd come back, singing the Ranger's praises although both of them had come to hold a grudging respect for him after everything they'd been through together.

“Can I ask you something?” He asked after a few minutes of silence.

Kate took a sip of her coffee before nodding. She'd learned a long time ago that if a Gecko _asked_ if he could ask you a question, you should pay attention to him.

“Did Gonzalez help you leave? He always said he didn't, but we all know he didn't approve of you and Richie... you know, shacking up together.”

“No.”

He glanced at her, eyebrow raised before sighing in disbelief.

“I'm not angry, Kate. I just want to know if he-”

“You think I care if you're angry? No, Freddie didn't know anything about it. No one did, not until I called Scott to tell him where I was.”

“You didn't trust him either, huh?” He muttered, and when she glanced at him she saw the muscle in his jaw clenching and knew he was sulking. Again.

And she'd been having such a nice day.

“If you're waiting on me apologising again, I wouldn't hold your breath.” She snapped at him. “I left. I'm back now, thanks to you, and I'm going to see this through. But if I'm going to stay, I don't want to have to listen to pointed remarks every ten minutes, got it?”

She glared at him until he nodded once, still scowling, before she turned away and stared out the window.

The rest of the drive was spent in tense silence and for the second time in less than twenty four hours, Kate was thrilled to see the lights of Jacknife Jed's spilling into the early dusk.

She left Seth in the car, grabbing her bags from the back seat before he'd climbed out and heading into the bar, ignoring his sharp _Kate, wait a second._

The bar was quieter than usual; it hadn't filled up for the night yet and there was no sign of Richie or Scott, but she smiled widely at Peaches as the young culebra caught her eye from where she was serving an older couple drinks.

Jake was behind the bar again and smiled widely as he caught her eye; fangs flashing brightly in the light. Kate turned away quickly and fought not to look back at him, even as she felt his gaze on her as she passed. She trusted Scott, and Richie, enough to know he wouldn't bother her but she didn't really want to hang around him either.

She pushed open the staff only door, making her way quickly to her room and dropping her bags on the floor, before throwing herself down onto her neatly made bed; making a mental note to tell Peaches she didn't need to clean up after her.

“Rough day at the mall, honey?”

Kate groaned and rolled her eyes, pushing herself up onto her elbows to glare at a smirking Richie.

He stood in the door between their rooms, despite her _knowing_ that she had locked it before she left, watching her with a soft smile.

He was freshly showered, by the smell of him, and already dressed in suit pants and a white shirt. He hadn't added a tie or jacket yet and just like the night before, Kate was struck by how _exposed_ he seemed to be when he wasn't in a full suit, and how intimate it felt to be looking at him that way.

It was something that she hadn't noticed before; sure, she'd always known that the Geckos liked to be well dressed; Seth veered more towards vests and jackets and Richie preferred a full suit, but she had never noticed that both of them used clothes like armour; what they wore was part of the Gecko facade and they didn't drop that for just anyone. She'd seen Richie in varying states of undress while they were together – hell, she'd seen him walk around naked, but being back and being so unsure of her place here meant that every little thing rattled her; even something that seemed as silly as what Richie wore infront of her.

“Seth said you have my phone.” She pushed herself up to stand, holding her hand out. He tugged her silver Samsung out of his pocket and handed it to her, his hand closing over hers briefly.

“Richard, where the fuck are you?”

Kate watched as Richie rolled his eyes at the sound of Seth's voice, before he backed away from her and closed the door between their rooms softly.

She could hear the soft murmur of their voices in the next room but blocked out the words as she sat back down on the bed and powered up her phone.

Unsurprisingly, she had six voicemail messages and dozens of texts from Matt starting just after nine thirty that morning, when she would have been due to meet him for coffee before her class, and continuing right up until an hour ago.

 

_Katharine, sweetheart, call me when you get this. You should have been here by now and your phone's going straight to voicemail. Call me._

 

_Katharine, me again. I just called by your apartment and can't get in. I need you to call me, I'm worried._

 

_Katharine, I got your note. Honey, I didn't even know you had a brother. Why didn't you call me? I'd have gone home with you. Call me when you get this, I want to make sure you're okay._

 

_Me again. I've just looked around your apartment and realised half your stuff is gone. What the hell is going on?_

 

_Katharine, I-_

 

_Katharine. I just got a call from my bank, telling me that three million dollars is gone from my savings account and there's a moving company at your apartment who won't tell me anything. Call me. Now._

 

“Persistent little fucker, isn't he?” Richie's voice made her look up and she scowled at him as she hung up after listening to Matt's final message. She didn't bother opening the texts, assuming they would be more of the same and not particularly wanting to feel any worse than she already did.

It wasn't that she loved Matt; she didn't but she was fond of him and the last thing she wanted was to cause him any unnecessary pain. If the Geckos had given her time to think last night, she probably would have come up with an excuse to leave, quickly and quietly, that hadn't involved a note and three million stolen dollars.

“What if he goes to the cops?” She asked softly, staring down at her phone.

She felt bad for Matt; he hadn't asked for any of this and despite Seth's insistence that there was something fishy about him and his money, he was a good man and he'd deserved better than this. He'd deserved better than _her._

“He won't. But if he does, we'll get Gonzalez to deal with it, okay?”

She nodded, but refused to look at him until he knelt before her. He had finished dressing, his tie perfectly knotted beneath his soft black jacket. He even wore cufflinks, and she found herself smiling suddenly at the sight of them; two coiled silver snakes with emerald eyes that she'd gotten him when she'd been out shopping one day. She ran a finger over one of them carefully, shivering as his caught her hand in his own and brought it towards his mouth. He dropped a cool, soft kiss on the skin of her wrist and she found herself closing her eyes and sighing before she could stop herself.

“Come on, Scott and the Peacekeeper are here.”

She stood with a sigh, dropping her phone back onto the bed before following him out of the room and down the hall to the office.

Freddie was already there, pacing silently as she followed Richie inside. Scott sat on the small couch, typing something into his phone with a small smirk on his face and Seth was leaning casually against his desk, arms crossed as he watched her greet Freddie.

“Freddie.” She smiled and allowed the Ranger to wrap her in a tight hug.

“Hey Kate. I'm so glad to see you.” He murmured into her hair. She tightened her grip briefly before letting go, smiling widely at him.

“How's Maggie and Billie?”

“They're doing great. Mags said to get you over for dinner one night, now that your back.”

“I'd love that.” She agreed with a smile, before dropping onto the couch next to her brother.

Richie has taken a seat behind his desk, sipping from a glass of whiskey as he looked around the room and they sat in silence for a few seconds before Kate sighed in annoyance.

“Are you all waiting on an invite to share? Someone tell me what the hell is happening. Now.”

She watched Richie and Seth exchange looks before Richie tilted his head towards her.

“Santanico called a few weeks back, hysterical about some sort of demon who had managed to get past the defences at one of her safe houses and slaughter a few of her girls.”

“Her girls? Is she running a harem now?” Kate muttered to Scott. Her brother snorted in amusement, elbowing her before turning his attention back to Richie.

“She said they were completely torn apart and she didn't think there was a culebra gang in the world sick enough to do it.”

“We're talking completely mutilated, Kate. Like torture porn levels of blood and gore.” Scott added, widening his eyes mockingly at her until she punched him in the arm, lips curling up in disgust. “Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm just going by the pictures Santanico sent us.”

“She sent pictures?” Kate frowned, narrowing her eyes as she looked from Richie to Freddie and back.

“Yep.”

“She found 'her girls' mutilated and torn apart and she stopped to take photos?”

“No, I took them.” Freddie cut in. “She called me first, and I told her not to touch anything until I got there. I took the pictures, figured they would help us find out who did it.”

“And did you?” She asked sceptically.

“Yep. They call him 'the General'. He's a Xibalban warlord who managed to escape while the gate was open and we were all too busy fighting the queen bitch, and apparently he's out to finish the job she started.” Seth told her. “Tanner was able to look up some old books, found some stories about him and this guy is one cold motherfucker, Katie. Tanner thinks he might even be worse than Amaru.”

“How?” She asked sceptically. She wasn't sure she believed that anyone, _or anything,_ was worse than Amaru, no matter what anyone else told her.

She'd had the queen of hell inside her for months; she knew exactly what she'd been capable of and she knew that everything Amaru had put her through had just been the tip of the fucking evil iceberg.

“Tanner said that Amaru's main problem was that she loved Vengaza, and she'd betrayed her to the Lords. He said that she was driven more by passion and revenge and that she took a chance by infecting you at the blood well, that it was probably luck and timing, rather something she'd planned. The General, on the other hand, is supposed to be smart and calculating and fond of ripping culebras into little bits.”

“And we're sure he's right?”

“Burt said he's seen this guy mentioned in a few texts, and that there is nothing good about him. Look, I know Tanner's a fucking creep, alright, and if these weren't desperate times I would seriously consider putting a bullet between his eyes because a guy like that should not be teaching eighteen year old girls. But he knows his shit, when it comes to this stuff, and he's hasn't led us astray yet.” Seth's voice was low and serious as he looked at her and she nodded at him to show her understanding.

“What does any of this have to do with me? You said Santanico said he would come for me first, why?”

“Tanner thinks he wants to take Amaru's place and he went after Santanico, hoping she'd lead him to the Geckos and they'd lead him to you. Since you defeated her, Amaru's weaker than she's ever been and he's looking to become the new ruler of hell. Santanico has been looking into this herself as well, because she doesn't trust any of us apparently, and she said one of the things he needs to do it is to drain the blood of Amaru's earthly vessel into a very specific chalice and then consume it.” Freddie explained.

“Me.” Kate sighed, rolling her eyes. "Let me guess, at a certain time on a certain night in a certain place, right?"

“Pretty much.” He agreed, nodding with a small smile. “But that isn't going to happen, Kate.”

She watched as Seth made his way towards the safe, opening it easily and without hesitation and lifted a familiar looking item out.

“You're kidding me?” She breathed out in disbelief, staring at the small and ugly looking red cup that Richie insisted on pulling out to show her when she'd first told him she'd never watched Indiana Jones. He'd been astounded at her 'lack of knowledge' and made her sit through all the movies, while keeping up a running commentary the entire time. The worst part had been when Seth had joined them, and the two of them had argued over characters and plots and every single fucking thing.

“That ugly thing?” Scott's bemused voice cut into her thoughts.

“We think so.” Richie replied. “Looks like the image in one of Burt's books and when we showed him, he said it looked like it had been forged in Xibalba. He's looking for more information, but we're, like, ninety five percent sure this is it.”

“Forged in Xibalba? It looks like something dad would have bought for mom at Pottery Barn.” Scott grinned and Kate found herself smiling at him, momentarily distracted from the General by the idea that she and Scott had moved on enough that they could now talk about their mother in passing.

“Yeah, and then mom would have returned it because it's hideous.” She agreed with a nod.

“Yeah, well we have it and that General fucker isn't getting near it.” Seth placed the chalice back into the safe and locked it quickly. “No one else knows it's here, just us, Burt and Tanner. And it stays that way, got it?”

Kate watches as Scott nods seriously while Freddie rolls his eyes but nods as well.

“So for now, we keep watch. Kate, honey, you don't go anywhere alone, okay?” Freddie took a seat on the arm of the chair, leaning over her slightly. If it had been one of the Geckos, or even Scott, she'd have knocked them off, but she nodded as Freddie spoke. “The boys have already upped their security and I'm going to call in some favours with local law enforcement; guys who know a little bit about culebras and all that shit. But Kate, you need to be careful, okay? At least until we have a better idea of what we're dealing with here.”

She nodded, sighing under her breath slightly as he stood up and crossed the room, picking up his hat from the table.

“Alright. I need a fucking drink.” Seth muttered, pulling open the door of the office.

Kate snorted but didn't move as she watched him and Freddie file out of the office, bickering lightly and closely followed by Scott.

“You okay?” Richie's voice was soft and she turned so that she was lying across the couch facing his desk.

The position was a familiar one; she couldn't count the amount of nights she'd spent like this, curled up on the couch as he worked but kept up a continual stream of conversation in her direction. She felt herself melt into cushions as the pleasant memories assaulted her; she could practically hear the low music he used to play in the background as she closed her eyes.

“It's a lot to take in.” She sighed. “Everything's a lot to take in; part of me can't believe I'm even back here, never mind that there's another fucking threat. I mean, does it ever stop? Do you think there'll ever be a time we can just stop fighting and, you know, just live?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?” She asked, opening her eyes again and frowning at him in confusion.

“Yes, I think eventually you get to stop and just live. Be happy.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I'm going to make damn sure you get to live and be happy, even if the rest of us don't.”

“You can't make promises like that Richie. It's not how the world works.”

“I'm a Gecko, Kate. I can do whatever the fuck I want, and if the world doesn't work that way now it will when I'm done.”

She shook her head, huffing out a small laugh at his confidence and watching as he approached the couch. She tensed as he lifted her legs to slide beneath them, draping them over his lap and pulling her shoes off and dropping them carelessly on the floor.

“I forgot how good you were at this.” She sighed, closing her eyes as he dug his fingers into the exact spot on the sole of her foot that made the tension bleed out of her instantly. 

“You want a reminder of what else I'm good at?”

She could hear the smirk in his voice and couldn't resist kicking him lightly in the leg as he chuckled, even as she felt a blush rise on her cheeks because he had gotten it all wrong; she had _never_ forgotten how good he was at other things.

“Try not to ruin the moment, Richard.” She replied primly, kicking him again as he chuckled darkly, reminding her that sometimes he could still see exactly what she was thinking. “And shut up.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting this - I'm not really happy with it but I've tweaked it as much as possible so....
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment and leave kudos on the story - I've been trying to reply to each one but it's our busy period in work so I haven't gotten a chance but I do appreciate all the feedback :)
> 
> As always, I don't own the characters :( and feedback is appreciated!


	4. Fanglorious

“Evening.”

Kate looked up from where she was trying to grab her earring from under the bookshelves to see Richie leaning in the doorway between their rooms, watching her with open curiosity.

He was already dressed for the evening in a black suit and white shirt, with his hair slicked back and his glasses resting on his nose as he gazed at her over the rim of them; she had to fight to hide her reaction to him, even from the other side of the room.

“Hey.” She smiled tightly at him before reaching her arm under the shelves again, cursing angrily when all she managed to do was push the earring further away.

“What the hell are you doing?” His voice was amused as it came closer and she resisted the urge to glare at him as she groped along the floor. She was well aware of how stupid she probably looked, she didn't need Richie pointing it out to her.

“Trying to get my earring.” She yelped the last word as his hands came down to her hips to lift her up smoothly back to her feet, before he stepped in front of her and lifted the bookcase up easily. She rolled her eyes at him showing off, before reaching down and scooping up the little hoop and nodding her thanks. “Thank you.”

He smiled in response, pushing his hands into his pockets as he looked her over.

She kept her attention on hooking the earring through her ear, and not on the heat of his gaze as he gave her a lingering once over. She'd been doing that a lot recently, trying to focus on mundane tasks rather than on the affect Richard sometimes had on her.

“You look good.” He spoke softly, meeting her eye boldly and she felt her heart speed up slightly.

She'd been back in Texas for just under a month now and things around Jacknife Jed's had mostly calmed down. There had been no further attacks on any of Santanico's people, and the snake queen herself had yet to show up but Kate had been using most of her spare time to prepare herself for the inevitable show down.

She'd been reading through some of Tanner's recommended books since then, firmly refusing to join him and Burt on their trips across the state, even as Burt assured her he wouldn't let the professor near her.

The first time Tanner had suggested she come along on one of their road trips, his eyes blatantly trailing over her body in a way he wouldn't have dared when she'd been here last time, she'd shot him down firmly. She hadn't even minded when Richie had flashed his fangs at the professor, hissing violently as he'd threatened to gut him if he looked at her like that again.

She'd warned Richie before about displays of possessiveness but with Tanner she was always willing to make an exception because she had never gotten over how creepy he was the first time she'd met him as a human. Being turned into a snake really hadn't improved his social skills.

She'd been hoping to pick up as much information as possible about the General but apart from a few passages in a few books, she hadn't found much and life had mostly settled down around her.

Instead of partying constantly, Scott was working full time for the Geckos now and playing with his band at weekends. He had a girlfriend he wanted Kate to meet, a young, recently turned culebra named Cecilia, and he was so sure that Kate was back to stay that he was constantly making plans for the far future, and so far she had been unable to bring herself to explain to him that she might be leaving again as soon as everything was sorted out.

Seth was no better; he'd been getting her involved in the running of the business, asking her to look through the books and inventory every time they came back with something new and keeping her busy in the bar and restaurant on evenings when she looked bored. She'd learned more about the inner workings of the Gecko operation in the last four weeks than she had in the entire time she'd been here before.

Seth had also taken to leaving brochures on nursing schools in Texas in the office and the small living room they'd set up in her absence. He thought he was being subtle but she knew it was him, could see it in his dark eyes when he asked her about the classes she'd been taking and how much longer she had left and while she appreciated his concern and his interest in helping her complete her schooling, she knew that agreeing or showing interest would give him the wrong idea.

Finding a balance with Richie wasn't any easier. He hadn't initiated any other serious conversations about their relationship since that first night, but she knew he was thinking about it, even if he wasn't acting on it.

For the most part, and to his credit, Richie had always been a gentleman with her.

Seth had always called him an 'old school romantic' in a sneering, mocking voice but Kate had secretly loved that about him and now that she was back, he was pulling out all his previous moves.

He'd taken to acting as if nothing had changed between them except their physical relationship; he invited her to watch movies with him and then talked the whole way through them, telling her little bits of trivia about the movie or complaining about the things he didn't like, grinning widely when she finally gave into the urge to throw something at him. He batted it away easily, no matter what it was, but he had been thrilled that she'd given into an old habit and she couldn't bring herself to stop doing it, not when she saw the wide, boyish grin on his face and had to fight back her own answering smile.

Other nights he cooked for her and they ate in the small, personal kitchen next to Seth's room.

It had a small table that seated four, a wine rack and not much else, and it was where they used to eat on date nights, before Richie would take her to see an old movie, or for a walk, or, on very rare occasions, dancing (she danced while he stood at the bar, glaring at anyone who got too close). She'd agreed to the dinner because he'd shown up at her door a week after they'd told her about the General, looking nervous but excited, asking her to join him and although she'd opened her mouth to refuse, she'd been physically unable to say no and had allowed him to take her hand and lead her down the hall.

The pasta he'd made had been amazing, and as they'd sat and talked about random stuff like the weather, movies, politics, getting Seth a girlfriend, the tension between them had lessened.

She'd continued to agree to the dinners because Richie had always been a fantastic cook and she didn't see the point of depriving herself of his cooking as long as he was being on his best behaviour.

He'd started buying her little gifts again – she'd woken up one night to a vase of colourful wild flowers by her head, a box of fancy, artisan chocolates and a pretty silver and green ring as an apology for the Geckos leaving to pick something up while she'd been sleeping a few nights before. He'd texted her from the road, of course, telling her where they were and when they'd be back and assuring her that Scott was staying in the compound with her, but had refused to take the stuff back when she tried to hand it to him later that night.

_You didn't need to buy me stuff because you felt guilty for leaving Richie. It's fine._

_I don't need an excuse to buy you things_ he'd told her firmly, taking the chocolates and ring out of her hand and returning them to their place on her cabinet.

_Ten bucks said you didn't actually pay for them_ she had retorted before she could help herself and the pleased smile on his face had left her with butterflies in her stomach the rest of the night. 

She'd been wearing the ring ever since because, if nothing else, Richard Gecko knew exactly the type of jewellery she liked and the ring was beautiful; antique and intricately carved, but still simple enough for her to wear every day.

Every time she looked at it, she had to remind herself that she wasn't supposed to be thinking about the other ring she knew he still had, and how well it would match this one.

He'd helped her unpack her stuff when it arrived, dutifully following her instructions as she ordered him around the room with a smirk on his face. The only stumbling block was when she was making room in her underwear drawer for her socks and had dropped a pair of red lace panties. She'd tried to scoop them up quickly, but hadn't managed to get them before he lifted them, holding them as he stared at her with dark eyes that flashed with want.

_I bet you look fantastic in these._

She'd thrown something at him, face red with a mixture of embarrassment and arousal, and had watched in confusion as he stormed out after letting out a small groan while sniffing the air.

_God damn it, Kate, you smell so fucking good._

He'd left her alone the rest of the night, and when she'd wandered to the bar to meet Scott, she'd seen him leading a small, dark haired woman out the door with a hand on her back. She _knew_ he was taking her out to feed from her, not to have sex with her, but she couldn't help the wave of jealousy that rolled off her and had to bite back a snarl when Seth taunted her about it as he passed.

It had only been a small bump, though, and Richie had shown up at her door the following night, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the office, where Freddie was waiting with Margaret and Billie.

Kate had lost herself for hours playing with young girl, thankful that Billie no longer looked at her and saw Amaru instead of Kate. The little girl was no longer afraid to play with her and Kate had never realised how good that would feel. She'd sat on the floor and let Billie play with her hair as she listened to Richie argue with Scott about martial arts movies, while Freddie and Seth had spoken quietly in the corner.

She hadn't forgotten her reasons for leaving; and despite Seth's assurances and Scott's confirmation that Richie really did toss the snake queen out on her ass, she was still – not _confused_ about her feelings, but still unsure about them.

She'd spent almost two years trying to hate him, and she had genuinely thought she was successful, but with every smile he gave her and every stupid joke he made, even every serious conversation he sat down to have with her, she was reminded of why she'd fallen for him the first time around, and how much she'd ended up loving him.

But spending time with him now was almost better than it had been prior to her leaving – then she'd been young and naïve and Richie and Seth had been her protectors, despite the way they'd come into her life. She'd depended on them, probably a little too much, and her time away from them had helped her grow and mature in a way she wasn't sure she would have done under their roof and the fact that Richie still wanted her, despite the changes and the time apart, was reassuring and heady in a way she hadn't expected.

She loved the fact that for every time he got her to smile by using an old trick, he was constantly coming up with new ways to get her attention as well.

He'd started recommending books to her, and the bookshelf in her room had gone from practically empty to overflowing within a short time frame. He'd obviously looked through the books in her apartment in Maine because all of his recommendations were books she'd pick up for herself but at the same time, he didn't dismiss her wanting to help research about the General, and he'd gotten (stolen) her a number of the books Tanner was always talking about as well.

He had also started talking to her about their plans; when she'd been here before, he and Seth, and even Scott to an extent, had tried to protect her from everything and had tried to plan things around her to avoid upsetting her and she knew it was because they cared. They were worried about triggering something or frightening her and no matter how many times she had assured them she could take it, they'd tried to plan around her. Now, all three of them asked for her opinion and kept her updated on any developments and somehow that, more than anything else, made her feel like being back wasn't as bad as it could be. She felt valued and included in a way she hadn't expected to and she couldn't dismiss the effect it had on every time Richie turned towards her and asked her what she thought of something.

“Where are you going?” Richie's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she shrugged at him as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, her hands soothing out the non-existent wrinkles in the soft material of her green dress..

“I promised Scott I'd go and watch Fanglorious tonight and meet Cecilia. I've never been a huge fan of the music Scott listened to so I don't imagine I'm in for a fun night but I said I'd go and I've been putting it off long enough. Are you and Seth still going out?”

“No. Tanner dug up some information about an ancient Mayan ritual that might help us so Seth's going to go meet him with Burt, get his opinion on it. You want some company?”

There's hope in his expression and she finds herself nodding before she even really considers turning him down.

“Sure. But no complaining about the music. Or the people. Or the -”

“I get it, Kate. No complaining from me.” He grinned at her.

“Yeah, but let's see how well you stick to that.” She muttered, pulling a jacket over her dress. “You ready to go now? I told Scott I'd meet him before the show so I could meet his band mates.”

“Sure, but I can tell you now they're a bunch of dicks.”

“Wow, Richie. You really stuck to the whole not complaining thing, huh?” She teased, elbowing him lightly as she passed through the door he was holding open.

“Hey, it's not a complaint.” He laughed. “Just stating the facts. I've met them and they're idiots.”

Kate shook her head in amusement, not protesting when Richie's hand came to rest low on her back as they walked through the bar. “Let's borrow Seth's car.”

Kate grinned, not bothering to ask if he would mind. Seth's love for his car was as well known as Richie's love of stealing it as often as possible and while she would never admit it out loud, she loved seeing the two of them arguing over stupid, juvenile things, like borrowing a car, instead of the big hurtful things, like Richie choosing Santanico over Seth and the long, bitter arguments they had about whose fault it was that she had been shot.

“You're such a brat.” She laughed as she climbed in. He winked at her before closing the door behind her and striding round to the other side.

The bar Scott was playing at was already half full by the time they arrived and Kate allowed Richie to keep a grip on her hips as they moved through the crowd.

“I feel seriously overdressed.” She muttered in his direction, knowing that he would hear her, as she glanced around at all the teenagers and young adults dressed in jeans and sneakers and boots. Her pretty green dress had seemed like a good idea at the time, but she hadn't felt like such an out of place preacher's daughter in years. At least Richie was in the same boat, dressed in his full suit, although Kate knew for a fact that he and Seth never allowed themselves to feel self conscious about the way they dressed, no matter where they were or who they were with, and that he likely didn't give a damn.

“You look beautiful.” Richie murmured, leaning down so that his cool lips were against her ears. She shivered at the sensation, ignoring the way his hands tightened on her hips, before stretching up on her tiptoes to try and look over the crowd. She rocked back against him accidentally, and his hands slid from her hips to her stomach to hold her in place before she settled back down flat, face flushing.

“Can you see Scott?” She asked, shrugging off the intimate touch as casually as possible. She knew it hadn't worked when she saw how dark his eyes were but she also knew he wasn't going to bring it up - not yet, anyway.

She was well aware that Richie could be a patient man; he could be calm and meticulous and liked to think through every possible result before he committed himself to a plan. Kate knew this because she had seen him doing it numerous times; arguing back and forth with Seth over every possible outcome and calmly explaining to his brother why something wouldn't work. She knew this, and she was going to use it to her advantage; Richie wouldn't push her too hard yet, because he wasn't sure where he stood (neither was she) so he would flirt and touch and attempt to drive her insane, but he wouldn't ask for a physical relationship until he knew for sure she wanted it.

It was what he had done the first time around, and she could see him going through the same steps now and figured she had another few weeks before he really went all out. It gave her a little bit more time to decide what was going to happen after everything had calmed down because the last thing any of them needed was for her to climb back into bed with Richard Gecko and then try to leave him again.

“He's over by the bar.” Richie's voice was still right by her ear and she shuddered again, elbowing him lightly as he chuckled. “Come on.”

He switched their places, so that his tall frame could move them easily through the crowd, while keeping a firm grip on her hand. She concentrated on his back, not paying attention to anyone else until they were standing next to her brother and the tiny red head sitting beside him.

“Kate! You came... and you brought Dick.”

“Scott.” Kate tried to scold him but she felt her lips turn up in amusement at the sight of Richie's glare.

Since she'd been back, she'd discovered that Seth and Richie had taken on the role of siblings to Scott in her absence. Whereas she and Scott had always been pretty close, up until their mother's death and their ill-fated road trip, the three boys were constantly antagonistic towards one another but there was a deeper bond there than there had been before and there was genuine affection between them, no matter how hard they tried to hide it and scoffed at her when she brought it up.

“Cecilia, this is my sister Kate. Kate, this is Cece.”

Kate knew better than to hold her hand out to the young culebra, the vampires who weren't used to the santa sangre tended not to react well the first time they met her, and instead nodded towards her with a smile. The young redhead returned the gesture, but Kate could see the hunger on her face as she sniffed the air.

“This is Richie, he's one of my bosses.”

Richie shook Cecilia's hand firmly, and Kate watched as the young woman winced when she tucked her hand back into Scott's before turning a glare towards him. He shrugged at her, unrepentant, before dropping an arm over her shoulder.

“I'm so glad you came. You're going to love it, Kate.”

She found herself grinning at Scott's excitement and as she listened to him describe the band's playlist for that night, tucked under Richie's arm, she could pretend for a few minutes this she was a normal person; that this was a normal double date with her boyfriend and her brother and that her life wasn't a constant horror movie.

She greeted each band member with a smile and a nod, watched them cower slightly under Richie's gaze and then glared at him with amusement every time he grinned at her.

She watched in awe as her little brother got on stage and played his heart out; confident and outgoing as he acted up for the crowd in a way she had never thought he was capable of. She cursed herself as she felt tears welling up when he continually met her eye and grinned throughout the performance. Cecilia stood beside her and Kate found herself exchanging grins with the smaller girl and cheering loudly with her as the band finished each song, her hungry look from earlier forgotten as they both concentrated on Scott.

Richie stood behind them, sipping scotch and not even pretending to enjoy himself but he didn't complain and every time she looked at him, he shot her a smirk and nodded so she let it be.

She had been right earlier; she didn't particularly like the music but she couldn't deny that the band had stage presence and her little brother was talented at working the crowd into a frenzy, and she excitedly told him so when he joined them after their set.

“Did you like it?”

“I loved it, Scott.”

He allowed her to hug him, wrapping his own arms tightly around her for a few seconds before letting go and reaching over to kiss Cecilia. He turned back to them with a wide grin on his face and Kate felt her heart melting at how _happy_ he looked. Sure, he'd been happy during her previous stay at Jed's but it had been nothing compared to this; compared to the look of adoration on his face as he looked between her and his girlfriend and excitedly talked about his music.

“Hey, we're going to go to the after party at a friend's place, you want to come?” Scott asked her. She cleared her throat, glancing back at Richie's unimpressed expression before turning back to her brother.

“Rain check?” She asked with a wry grin. “You know it's not really my thing.”

Scott nodded, still grinning. “Any more word on you know who?”

Kate chuckled at his reference before shaking her head. “Not yet. Seth and Burt were meeting up with Tanner tonight. I'll text you if we find anything out, okay?”

They spent a few more minutes saying goodbye before she let Richie lead her back out to the car.

“As bad as you expected it to be?” He asked as they strapped themselves in.

“He's amazing. He used to play in church every so often but nothing like that.” She breathed out, smiling widely. “And he looked so happy up there.”

“You liked the music?” Richie sounded incredulous as he glanced at her and she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out.

“Hell no. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate how talented my brother is.”

She laughed again as he shook his head, softening it into a grin as he glanced at her fondly.

“I love it when you laugh.” He spoke softly, not looking away from the dark road as they drove smoothly down the highway. “When you're happy.”

“Thank you for coming with me.” She said in reply, just as softly. He glanced away from the road briefly, his lips curling up in that soft, gorgeous smile that always got her in trouble.

“Anytime. Now, what do you say to stopping for food? I deserve some good horchata after listening to that.”

* * *

The bar was busy when they got back, after stopping at Big Kahuna Burger for food and Kate was laughing so hard at Richie's impression of Burt and Freddie's latest fight as they climbed out of the car that she didn't notice the figure standing in the shadow of the building until he had his hand wrapped around her throat, nails digging into the skin of her neck as she choked. She struggled weakly, raising her leg to kick out at him but his grip tightened suddenly and she faltered as pain lanced through her.

He turned so that her back was to his front, and she watched the sudden change that came over Richie' as he went from relaxed and joking to alert and deadly in seconds. His eyes were cold as he took a step towards them.

“What the fuck are you doing, Jake?” He muttered, his hand slipping his knife out of his pocket as Kate struggled against the dark haired barman. “You know you're not making it out of this alive, right?”

“This little bitch got my girl killed. Diosa said it was my choice to take revenge or not; said that if little miss Katie-cakes was dead, the General wouldn't be able to rise. She said she needed my help to keep our people safe. You're one of _us_ , Richard. You should be helping me, instead of trying to get into her panties all the fucking time. ”

Kate stopped struggling suddenly, letting her head drop back against Jake's shoulder as tears welled up in her eyes. He tightened his grip on her neck and she whimpered at the pain of his sharp nails against delicate skin. Richie made a soft hissing noise in response and she cursed herself for being so stupid.

She should have known this was going too smoothly; should have picked up on the fact that Jake had mentioned Santanico during their first meeting and that he was new. How could she have been so naïve?

“Your girl was one of the ones the General killed to get to Santanico? Did she send you here to spy on us?” Richie sounded calm but as she raised her head again, Kate could see him groping in his pocket and held her breath as he met her eyes. He looked cold and calculating, but she could see the rage and fear in his eyes and for some reason that calmed her, despite the fact that the edges of her vision were turning black as Jake tightened his grip again, shaking her slightly.

“She was a good girl, my Maria. Nice and sweet, never hurt nobody and The General ripped her to shreds, all so he could get to yours.”

“Killing Kate won't get her back.”

“Nah, man, but it'll make me feel a hell of a lot better knowing she's dead. I'd like to take my time, you know? Suck all that amazing blood out of her first, see what all the fuss is about, but I'm in a bit of a rush so a snapped neck will work for me and Diosa will be happy. Now that Maria is gone, Diosa is the most important thing in my life.”

“So you are spying for her.”

“Diosa needed someone on the inside, now that she's no longer welcome. Man, how could you give up Santanico Pandemonium for this little bit-”

“You watch how you fucking talk about her, dick.” Richie spat. “I'm going to kill you one way or another for touching her, but it can be quick and easy or slow and fucking painful.”

“I vote for slow and painful.” A hard voice drawled from behind them. Kate shrieked as Jake swung around, hissing at Seth and Freddie and loosening his grip slightly in the process. She met Freddie's eyes and when she saw his subtle nod, dropped to the ground and rolled as Seth fired a shot into Jake.

She let Freddie pull her to her feet and push her behind him slightly; taking deep, painful breaths as she watched Jake face off against the Geckos. He hadn't lost the savage look in his eye as he stared at them and he hissed at her once more when he met her eye.

“I don't care if you kill me.” He laughed bitterly. “Diosa will avenge me.”

“Your snake queen doesn't give a damn about you, jackass.” Seth responded. “If she did she wouldn't have sent you here to die. Richie?”

“You ruined my fucking date, asshole.” Richie spat, stepping closer to Jake before stopping and turning to look at Kate. “You want the honour, sweetheart?”

Kate shook her head, still holding a hand to her aching throat but stepped closer to the Geckos. They stepped apart slightly to let her stand between them and she glared at the dark haired culebra who met her eyes unflinchingly.

“I'm not sorry.” He told her with a sharp smile.

“Neither am I.” She replied hoarsely. She nodded at Richie, watching calmly as he stabbed his carved knife repeatedly into Jake's chest, until the culebra collapsed into dust.

Kate coughed painfully, and Richie turned his attention to her immediately. The bloody knife disappeared into his pocket and he reached an arm around her, pulling her against him and running his cool fingers across the burning skin of her throat.

“Let's get you inside.” He murmured. She nodded, allowing herself to sink into the comforting embrace he offered, his arm tightly wrapped around her shoulders as they moved through the busy bar.

“How the fuck did this happen?” Seth raged once they four of them were safely inside the Geckos' office.

Tanner was sitting on the small couch, drinking a beer, and he gave her the usual once over as she entered but Kate couldn't find it in herself to care as she followed Richie across the room to his desk, leaning against him as he rested against the sturdy wood. His arm came up around her shoulders again and she rested her head against his collarbone and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to reassure herself that she was safe.

“Kate, are you okay?” Freddie asked, coming to stand in front of her. “Do you want me to ask Dakota to come up?”

She opened her eyes to look at him and shook her head, swallowing painfully. “I'll be fine, Freddie.”

“You sure, princess?” Seth looked up at her from where he was pouring four glasses of whiskey, eyes dark and concerned as he took in the way she was leaning against his brother, hand still held around her own throat as Richie supported her.

“It'll bruise but I'll be fine. There's no need to drag Dakota the whole way up here, Freddie. You know she hates Tweedle -dee and Tweedle-dum.”

“Hey.” Richie and Seth protested in unison, and Kate found herself smiling slightly at the offended look on their faces.

There was silence for a few seconds as Seth handed out the drinks, before settling himself into the chair behind his desk. He pointed a finger at Sex Machine and then jerked it behind him.

“Get off the damn couch and let the lady sit down.”

“There's plenty of room.” The professor protested, turning to look at her. Kate closed her eyes against his leer but opened them as she felt Richie move away from her.

“Move. Now.” He stared down at Tanner until the blonde sighed and stood up, rolling his shoulders casually.

“Yeah, I should be going now anyway. Got a class to teach tomorrow.”

They watched as Tanner left, before Richie dropped onto the sofa with a sigh and patted the seat next to him.

She knew she needed to set up boundaries between them again but she couldn't help herself as she curled up against him, grateful for the arm he slipped around her waist. She could feel how sticky his hand was and knew that the blood from the culebra outside was going to stain her pretty dress and she'd have to burn it but that, she decided, was a problem for tomorrow.

“We need to talk about how Jake got so deep into our operation.” Seth declared angrily.

“I should have fucking killed him the night you came home.” Richie snapped. “I just thought he was being affected by the santa sangre. I thought threatening him would work. Threatening them always fucking works.”

“Well clearly, brother, you thought wrong.” Seth retorted and Kate sighed, pushing herself up. Richie glanced at her with a frown, his grip tightening on her hip, and she returned the gesture, before turning to scowl at Seth.

“I am not in the fucking mood to listen to you two sniping at each other about whose to blame for this, got it?”

She waited until they both nodded before taking a sip of her whiskey and speaking again.

“He called her Diosa.”

“What?”

“Jake. He kept calling Santanico Diosa. He did it the night I came back too. Do all culebras called her that or can we use it to weed out the ones who are loyal to you?”

There was silence for a few seconds and she thought maybe she was making too much of a small thing, but then Richie dropped his head back against the couch and nodded.

“He fucking did. I never noticed.”

“Good going, genuis.”

“Hey, you didn't notice either asshole.”

“Oh my God, will you both stop?” Kate snapped again, then coughed as pain seared down her throat.

“That's it, call Dakota.” Seth ordered Freddie. “Get her something for the fucking pain.”

“The whiskey will help with the pain, Seth.” She told him, taking a sip as proof. “Freddie, leave Dakota alone. If it's still bad tomorrow, I'll drive over there.”

She finished the rest of her whiskey, before standing to pour herself another glass.

“So. Diosa. Can we use it or not?”

“Maybe. I mean, it might not work on any random culebras we come across but no one who works for us should be calling her that.” Richie nodded thoughtfully.

“Yeah, but how do we find out? We can't just ask them – they'll know we're looking into it.”

“Pick the ones you trust.” Freddie commented. “José, Peaches. Anyone else you know is definitely loyal to you guys. To Kate. Tell them what we need...”

“And let them do the digging.” Kate finished with a nod. “The other staff are more likely to talk openly around them, more likely to let it slip.”

“Alright. I'll speak to José tomorrow, get him to start digging.” Seth agreed. “I'll speak to Peaches when she gets back. Jordan, as well.”

“Alright. Then there's only one more thing we need to discuss.” Kate refilled her whiskey before turning to face them again. “I think we need to invite Santanico here.”

“You're shitting me.” Seth muttered, staring at her in disbelief.

“No. Look, we're waiting on this General attacking, right? We're focused on _him,_ on finding out how to destroy him but how are we supposed to do that if Santanico is constantly sending other, smaller threats as well? We'll be trying to look over both of our shoulders, waiting to be attacked. We can't fight a war on two fronts, Seth. If that means extending the hand of friendship to her, at least temporarily, then we have to do it.”

“You don't want her here.” Richie reminded her sharply.

“No, I really fucking don't. Especially after tonight. But we have to think this through, Richie. We may not be able to beat both of them, so we need one of them on our side. She's the lesser of two evils.”

There was silence and she sighed, moving to sit next to Richie again. She tucked her leg beneath her and turned to face him, placing her hand over his on his knee and smiling as he turned his towards hers and entwined their fingers.

“Look, I'm not saying we invite her to move in, okay? I'm not saying that we have dinner with her, or invite her to movie night or anything like that. She's not our friend and she's not part of our family but we need her to be an ally.”

Richie nodded, a thoughtful look on his face as his thumb stroked across the soft skin of her hand.

“Fine. How do we do this?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay in getting this posted! I've had it written for a while but wanted to have the next chapter almost complete before posting this one. 
> 
> ATM, there's be 2 more chapters after this, possible followed by an epilogue, and then the story is done :(
> 
> Again, I don't own any of the characters and I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to comment and leave kudos - I wasn't sure about the premise of the story when I started it so I am glad that people are actually enjoing it!


	5. Faith

It was just starting to get dark and Jed's was pleasantly full without being overly busy when Kate slid herself into an empty booth with a cheeseburger, fries and a tall glass of Coke with ice.

She pushed her food to the side slightly and pulled out her new laptop, grinning as she stroked the shiny red plastic cover as it powered up.

Richie had presented it to her a few nights ago, with a soft smirk and a proud _I even paid for it, Kate_ and had shrugged off her protests with a gruff _you fucking deserve it, alright? It's for all the shit that happened last week._

She'd argued with him for an hour, until Seth had told both of them to shut the fuck up, before she'd finally accepted it and let him tug her down on to the seat beside him while he set it up (she didn't have the heart to tell him that she knew exactly how to set up a laptop; he'd looked so happy to be explaining it to her that she'd just grinned and nodded along – she was pretty sure he bought her act, but with Richie you couldn't be too sure = it was entirely possible that he was humouring her humouring him).

She'd mentioned needing a laptop in passing conversation on the phone to Scott while she'd been cooking in the kitchen, unaware that anyone else was around, because she wanted to check how many credits she still needed to complete her first year of nursing and she didn't want to look it up on any of the Geckos' computers, because she didn't want either of them knowing and taking it a sure sign that she was back for good. Scott had been quiet for a few seconds on the phone, before changing the subject and Kate hadn't mentioned it again because she'd quickly realised that it wasn't fair on him; _Scott_ was hoping for her to stay as well, just as much as Richie and Seth, and it wasn't fair to tell him of her frustration with the Geckos when he felt the same as they did.

Richie hadn't mentioned the conversation when he'd handed her the laptop, and he hadn't mentioned it since, but she knew he'd overheard because she knew they were taking turns following her, even if they tried to be subtle about it.

It had been just over a week since Jake had attacked her outside Jed's, and the boys had decided that until they could weed out the culebras on their side, she shouldn't be on her own for too long.

If she was on her own for more than ten minutes, one of the boys would show up and pretend they were just passing; so when Richie wasn't with her, Seth or Scott were.

Her younger brother had agreed to move into one of the spare rooms at the truckstop, along with Cecilia, until they heard back from Santanico and although Kate appreciated having him so close again, she was starting to feel a little claustrophobic under all the attention.

It felt like it had after her possession; the boys following her every move with worried, weary eyes and her being unable to rebel against the surveillance because she understood where they were coming from. It had taken months for them to relax after Amaru, and Kate was willing to bet this was going to be the same, if not worse.

Despite her warnings in Maine, Kate knew none of the boys had expected Santanico to make a move against them. There was distrust between them all, but they had expected her to fall in line and help them fight the General, and Kate knew they were more shook up than they let on that she'd dared to send a culebra to attack Kate in their own home – and that the culebra had almost been successful. Kate wasn't naïve, if Richie hadn't been with her, Jake probably could have killed her.

She'd seen Seth, walking the perimeter of the compound at night, with the culebras who acted as security, and during the day with the humans who had been hired to protect them, barking orders at them and constantly telling them that security needed to be better.

She'd sat in a meeting with Richie, José, Peaches and Jordan and had listened as he explained the situation to them, and asked (demanded) their help in weeding out any disloyal culebras.

She wasn't sure what made them agree so quickly; Richard's demanding voice or the sight of the dark bruises around her pale neck – she had seen José's human facade slip briefly at the sight of them and Jordan had demanded to know if the person who had attacked her was already dead or if they were still up for a bit more action.

She had expected them to be on their side because she knew they were loyal to Richie and Seth, and she knew that they liked her, but their open support and violent reactions had made her tear up slightly with gratitude, and she'd had to excuse herself while Richie went over the plan with them. He smiled knowingly at her but hadn't protested as she rushed out of the room.

So she wouldn't – _couldn't-_ complain about them being the general, over-protective assholes that they were, but she did could every possible opportunity to take a few minutes to herself when possible and she did. 

She knew Scott had taken Cecilia to watch a band play in the city that night, and that Richie was out collecting something that Tanner had mentioned they might need and would be gone for the next few hours.

That only left Seth, and he was currently having a meltdown in the warehouse because of a late beer delivery so it was the perfect time for her to get something to eat and browse the internet in peace. She gave Seth an hour before he realised she wasn't in her room and came looking, and she had a lot she needed to get done.

She had meant what she'd said to Scott – she really did want to check out how many credits she needed to finish her first year because nursing school had helped her heal in a way nothing else had; with every patient she'd helped as part of her training, she'd felt a little bit of the blood Amaru had left on her hands disappear. And she'd found that she was good at it too – she had the temperament for nursing and all of her supervisors in the hospital had praised her bedside manor and told her she was going to make a great nurse one day and she didn't want to give that up, just because she was back in Texas.

But since she'd disappeared from Maine with Matt's stolen millions, she wasn't sure she could contact the college and ask them to transfer the credits; Matt had stopped calling a few weeks ago and she hadn't dared try to contact him so she had no idea if he'd reported her or the money missing, and no way of finding out. She'd search local news in Maine to see if there was any mention of him, just to make sure he was okay, and since there were no news stories of a missing college professor, she assumed he was but it meant that if she wanted to get her nursing degree, she was going to have to start fresh.

And she was thinking of starting fresh in a Texas college that offered night classes.

She couldn't tell the boys that of course; they would take it as gospel that she was staying and she couldn't guarantee that, not yet. She just wanted to know _all_ of her options before deciding anything.

She still hadn't picked up any of Seth's leaflets but she had called Dakota yesterday, and asked her if she would look into it for her, and if they could meet for dinner one night to go over some options and the doctor had agreed, although she'd warned Kate not to bring Thing One and Thing Two with her.

She still had some of the money she'd taken from Seth originally, and some of the life insurance policy from her parents, so she could probably pay to go back to college as long as she continued to live rent free at the compound. She was also well aware that Richie, or Seth, would get her whatever money she needed if she gave even the slightest indication but she was saving that as a last resort.

She was also using the laptop to research the General; after reading through the books Richie had stolen for her and finding only snippets of information, she'd suggested that Burt and Tanner utilise the internet in their search for information, but Sex Machine had dismissed her idea with an eye roll and a  _we know what we're doing, sweetheart_ that had left her simultaneously shuddering in disgust and wanting to rip his face off so she'd decided to do it herself. 

She'd used Matt's log in details to access some of the ancient history academic journals she'd heard him talking about and had found more information than she had expected. She'd treated it like homework; she started taking notes on what she was reading and saving it all in a document, cross referencing it with what she had read in the books, and when she was done she was going to hand it over to Burt – if it was information they already had then great, but she'd rather be safe than sorry and she refused to apologise for wanting to be thorough when the lives of the people she loved were on the line.

She was surprised by how much she enjoyed reading about it though; she hadn't really enjoyed history in school, although she had done well enough in class, but she found herself reading articles that she knew had nothing to do with the General, or culebras, and enjoying what she was reading. If she didn't know that the best college course on the subject in the state was taught by a perverted freak, she'd consider going back to college to study ancient Mesoamerican history as well.

The alert tone from her phone pulled her from her thoughts and she smiled as she saw a text flash up on screen, next to a black and white photo of Richie happily sipping from a cup of horchata she'd taken as a joke one night but had actually turned out gorgeous when she'd started messing about with the filters.

_There's a showing of some like it hot at the drive in tomorrow night. Wanna go with me?_

There had been a shift in their relationship since the night of the attack; the distance Kate had been trying to keep between them had all but disappeared and while she knew it was her own fault and she still wasn't completely sure of what would happen in the future, she wasn't as upset about it as she thought she _should_ be.

She'd stayed in his room the night of the attack; after they'd worked out the best way to contact Santanico (Freddie was going to do it since she hated him least) and she'd started to feel tired and sore in equal measure, she'd told the boys she was going to have a quick shower and then crawl into bed. Richie had walked her to her room, his hand a comforting weight against the base of her spine, and had waited at the door for her to grab her toiletries.

She'd left the bathroom door open as she showered quickly, grateful for the steady stream of conversation he kept up as he moved around his room but as she started to dress, she realised how badly she was shaking and had to lean against the sink to try and steady herself. She had tried to stay silent but must have made a noise because Richie had suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking worried.

He had just stared at her for a few seconds, taking in the sight of her shivering and gripping the sink as she tried to stay upright, dressed only in her panties and a long vest, before stepping towards her and laying cold hands on her hips, just above the line of her underwear.

_It's just adrenaline, Kate. You're safe, okay? You trust me, right?_

He'd waited until she nodded, before dropping to his knees and tugging her panties down over her legs, and lifting her leg over his shoulder.

He began dropping soft, wet kisses on the inside of her thigh as he stared up at her, waiting on her telling him to stop but she couldn't bring herself to do it; the following morning she could blame it on shock, or the whiskey she'd drank, but right then all she could concentrate on how _right_ it felt to let Richie tilt her backwards slightly until he got the angle he wanted, and how good the soft, slow licks he started with felt. She had made a decision to stop thinking rationally and allow herself to just _feel_ and God, the way Richie had made her feel.

She'd quickly fallen into her old habit of gripping his hair as he ate her out slowly, her own soft pleas mingling with his groans as he slipped two fingers inside of her and curled them expertly, again and again until he was supporting her through one shaking orgasm, and then another, with his hand wrapped around her hip.

When she'd finally been able to release the grip she'd had on his hair, he'd risen to his feet again and pulled her against him, supporting her weight as he led her back into his own bedroom and towards the bed.

_Stay here tonight. Nothing else needs to happen just- just stay with me. Please._

She'd nodded, not wanting to admit that the idea of sleeping in her own bed hadn't even crossed her mind even if she was no longer shaking and climbed between the soft grey sheets; propping her head up on arm as she watched him strip out of his suit, meticulously folding each item before dropping them into his laundry hamper.

He'd climbed in next to her and she'd buried her face in his neck as his hand had settled possessively on the curve of her hip. She could feel him, still hard, against her stomach and had reached a hand towards him before he caught it in one of his own and tugged it up to rest against his collarbone.

_You have no idea how much I want you to touch me, sweetheart. But not tonight, you need to sleep._

He was right, of course, and she'd allowed him to stroke soft, cool fingers against her aching neck until she'd fallen into a restless sleep.

She'd woken, hours later, tucked into the familiar position they'd used to sleep in, with Richie's long body stretched over hers; his head resting lightly on her chest and one of his hands wrapped around her thigh. He'd still been sleeping, and she'd lay for twenty minutes running her fingers lightly through his hair until he woke up and greeted her, his sleep-husky voice making her stomach tighten with want as she thought back on the night before.

She hadn't stayed with him since but she had _wanted_ to; she had tossed and turned for hours the following day before giving up and taking a book into the office, and she'd only slept the next day out of sheer exhaustion.

Although they hadn't done anything else since that night, their interactions had become softer and more intimate; Kate found herself reaching for him when he was close and she no longer hid the reaction she felt when he reached for her and while Richie hadn't pushed for anything else, he no longer tried to hide his want from her. He was no longer afraid of scaring her off with the force of his desire and she appreciated that more than she thought she would.

Her phone buzzed again and she coughed awkwardly, glancing around the bar guiltily; as if any of the people surrounding her could see that she was thinking.

_We can go for dinner in that little italian place you like before the movie._

She smiled, her thumbs moving across the screen of her phone as she replied.

_It's a date but I want ice cream as well._

The response came in seconds and she chuckled before setting her phone down again.

_Whatever you want, katie-cakes._

She loaded up the document she had saved with all of her information about the General and began scrolling through it again.

She'd read it so many times that she didn't think she would pick up anything new but it never hurt to try and she still had at least thirty minutes before Seth realised she was missing and chased her down.

 

* * *

  
"All I'm saying is that you can't disappear like that, princess. Not right now.”

“Oh my – Seth, I was in the bar. I was within shouting distance of you and in José's eyeline the entire time, relax.”

Seth had found her an hour later than she had expected, coming to a panicked stop at her booth and grabbing her laptop and her arm, before tugging her into the back with him. The lecture had started as soon as they were inside the office, Kate curled up in Richie's chair with the laptop in front of her as Seth paced back and forth.

The shrill ringing of her phone interrupted whatever Seth had been able to reply and Kate frowned a she stared down at Matt's name.

“What's wrong?” Seth asked with a frown, crossing around behind her. “I thought Apple Pie had stopped calling?”

“He did.” She replied, watching as the call cut off. “He hasn't called in weeks. Do you think something's – do you think I should answer it?”

“Fuck no.” Seth cursed as the phone lit up again, the little voicemail symbol appearing at the top of the screen. “Put it on speaker.”

“What? No, what if he says something personal?”

“Like what?”

“Like – I don't know. Something I don't want you to hear, Seth.”

“You know you aren't exactly quiet when you and Richie have sex, right? I mean, _I_ could hear you sometimes, Katie, so you know the snakes can-”

“Alright, alright. Shut up.” She glared at him through her embarrassment, ignoring his easy grin as she dialled the number for her voice mail.

_Hola, miss Katie-cakes. Or do you go by Katharine now? Richard calls you one thing, and Matthew calls you another and both of them are fawning over you, as if you're something special. Important. I have both of them now, little girl-_

The voicemail cut out just as she heard Richie's weak _it's a trap, Kate. Don't-_ from behind Santanico's rambles.

“Son of a bitch!” Seth cursed loudly. “That bitch.”

“She got to Matt.” Kate muttered, turning to stare at a pale Seth. “She got to Matt and now she has Richie. Seth...”

Her phone lit up again, this time with a text message from Richie's number.

_Warehouse off Houstan and 15 th._

“Houstan and 15th? That's in the city. Alright. Okay, here's what we're doing. You call Scott and the Ranger, tell them to meet us there with whatever fire power they can bring. Burt was supposed to be meeting Richie, let's hope he hasn't been caught as well. I'm going to try and get him, tell him to meet us as well, and he can call Tanner.”

“Seth-” Her voice broke off on a sob as he tried to leave, and she gripped his arms tightly when he cupped her face to tilt her head towards him.

“Hey, princess. Listen to me – I don't give a damn if I have to kill the snake bitch herself, we're going to get him back, okay? We've been through this before, remember? We always come through it okay, and Richie will be home safe and sound and as annoying as ever in a few hours, alright?”

“But what if-”

“No. Don't loose it on me, Fuller.” Seth's voice was soft but harsh and she found herself nodding slowly as he released her face. “Go make your phonecalls. We leave here in thirty.”

She watched as he left the office, before turning to pick up her phone again. There was another message icon on the screen, next to Richie's name and number, and she cursed when she opened it to see a picture of him, strung up on what looked like some sort of wooden rack. He was missing his glasses and his hair was a mess; his white shirt was dirty, and bloody, and his tie seemed to have been tied around a post above his head making him arch in what looked like an uncomfortable position.

Santanico stood in front of him, smiling widely as she posed for a sick selfie, with one arm held tightly around an uncomfortable looking Matt – an uncomfortable looking Matt with a very clearly culebra face.

“You fucking bitch.” Kate muttered, closing the message quickly and dialling Scott's number, silently thanking God when he picked up on the second ring.

“Kate? What's wrong?”

She explained everything to him as quickly and as calmly as she could, her mind still flashing with the image of Richie, strung up and likely in agony and at the mercy of Santanico Pandemonium. Again.

“I'll meet you there. You okay, sis?”

“No.” She whispered. “She took him, Scott. She blames me for Manola and I always thought she'd try and kill me for it but that's not what she's going for. She's going to kill Richie to punish me.”

She glanced up and saw Seth in the doorway of the office, eyes dark as he gazed at her.

“We'll get him back, Kate. You know Dick, he's not going to go down without one hell of a fight.” Scott voice was low and assuring in her ear. “I'll meet you guys soon, okay?”

She hung up on Scott, sniffling slightly before pressing Freddie's contact card. She repeated the conversation with him, her gaze never leaving Seth as she watched him pack up the weapons they kept in the office. He held up a shotgun to her and she nodded as she listened to Freddie's curse loudly one last time before assuring her that he was on his way.

“Did you get Burt?” She asked as she hung up the phone. There was another picture message but she refused to open it, tucking the phone into her pocket before walking towards Seth.

“Yeah, he's already in town. Said Richie never showed to meet him so he went to a bar. He'll be fine to fight though. What about you?”

“I got Scott and Freddie, they're both on their way.”

“That's not what I meant, Kate. I need to know... I need to know that when it comes down to it, we're saving Richard. Matt means nothing to me, princess. Less than nothing. I didn't like the guy when we were tailing you, I doubt I'll like him any better as a snake. If things go sideways, I need to know that you can lose him. That you'll-”

“Chose Richie?” She hissed at him, suddenly thankful that she could unleash her anger on _something_ and feeling only slightly bad about the fact that she knew Seth didn't deserve her ire. “How can you seriously stand there and ask me that with a straight face, Seth?”

“You were with the guy for months, Kate. You could have some left over feelings for him and we all know how mad you were at Richie. I just need to know-”

“When we get back here we're going to have a very long talk about how you see me, Seth Gecko. I love Richie – I never stopped loving Richie, even when I was in Maine. Matt doesn't come before him, if he has to die so that we save Richie then I'll stake him myself.”

She left him standing there, making her way towards her bedroom.

This wasn't what she wanted for Matt – she had wanted him to forget about her. She had wanted for him to meet someone new, someone who would be able to love him like he deserved; not a messed up young woman who was only capable of loving the monster who'd kidnapped her family and gotten her killed.

She had not wanted him to get caught up in the mess that had dragged her back to Texas and she had definitely not wanted him to end up in Santanico's clutches.

None of this was Matt's fault; but she meant what she had told Seth - if it came down to a choice between him and Richie, Kate knew in her bones that Richie would win every time.

Suddenly her hesitation about staying and her reluctance to give a name to what they were gone and all she wanted was to have him in front of her, teasing her about her bad taste in movies and arguing with her over whether he had the right to steal things for her, just because he could and he thought she'd like it. She wanted to go for Italian food with him and let him mock her inability to eat spaghetti with a fork and spoon. She wanted to curl up next to him on the bench seat of his favourite car and rest her head on his shoulder as they watched Tony Curtis flirt with Marilyn Monroe.

She wanted _him_ ; every imperfect inch of him – his possessive jealousy and smug tone of voice when he knew he was right, his brilliance and his awkwardness and his bad moods and temper – she wanted all of that as much as she wanted the soft, romantic side of him that could sit for hours stroking her hair as they read together, or who liked to surprise her with nights in hotels, just so that they could take a bubble bath in privacy.

She blinked back the tears that welled up in her eyes as she pulled out the small black case that rested on the bottom shelf of her book shelves and opened it to pull out the small, ornate metal gun inside.

Richie had given it to her a few weeks before she'd left for Maine; he'd had it made specially for her using a design Burt had come up with. Rather than metal bullets, the gun fired small, sharp wooden spikes that, when aimed correctly, could take out a culebra from across the room. He'd been impressed with how good a shot she'd been when he first taught her how to shoot, and the gun had been an acknowledgement of that, as well as a silent plea to try and kill culebras from a distance, rather than get close to them with a chainsaw or blade.

Something shiny caught her eye as she went to close the case again and she inhaled sharply as she lifted out the familiar silver cross that had been tucked beneath the cushion.

She'd left the cross in Bethel before she'd left – tucked inside the small Bible she'd found in her parents' room in the hopes that someone else would find it and have better luck with it around their neck than she'd had.

It had been a rash decision, made when she was angry and sad and she'd regretted it almost instantly; Kate's faith had been shaky since her possession but the cross had been a gift from her parents on her sixteenth birthday and one of the few items she still owned from that time in her life. She'd thought that by leaving it behind in Bethel she would be able to build a completely new life as a completely new person – one who didn't need faith and a cross. She'd been wrong – her faith hadn't disappeared and by the time she realised she wanted the cross again, she was half way across the country and couldn't justify turning back for it. She'd long since given it up for good but to find it here...

This meant that Richie had gone to Bethel looking for her.

The image of him, in his sophisticated bible salesman suit wandering around the tiny town she'd grown up in made her grin with amusement for a few seconds before the reality set in.

Richie had come after her. Despite what Seth had said about not letting him follow her, Richie had made it at least as far as Bethel, found her cross necklace and brought it back for her and had _kept_ it – as if he always knew she'd come home one day and wanted to surprise her with it. That was now the second time he'd found her necklace and kept it for her – he'd gone back to the blood well for it too, even before he'd known about Amaru and Kate still being, technically, alive.

She remembered lying to him about it, the night he and Seth had shown up in Maine; she'd been embarrassed and didn't want to admit that she'd left it behind in Bethel in a fit of temper because of him; she should have known by his smug expression that he'd already known, that he'd already brought it home for her and just wanted her to admit it.

The sight of the necklace re-focused her and she took a deep, calming breath to centre herself. She glanced around her room quickly, grabbing the gun and whatever else she thought she'd need and shoving them into the pockets in her jeans and her jacket before turning back to her bed and lifting her necklace carefully.

She latched it around her throat, resting her hand against it briefly as she offered a silent prayer to God, before a noise from the hallway drew her attention to Seth and José.

“You ready, princess?”

She pulled her jacket on over her and nodded, calm and determined as she followed them.

“Let's go.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! 
> 
> I'm hoping (fingers crossed) to get the next chapter and epilogue up later this week/early next week.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review or kudos - I appreciate the feedback and I'm glad everyone likes it. 
> 
> P.S - the picture Kate has as Richie's contact photo in this chapter is an actual picture from Zane Holt's Instagram :)


	6. Showdown

The warehouse looked empty as Seth stopped the car smoothly next to the wire gate, Scott's bike and Freddie's squad car just behind them, but Kate had seen 'empty' warehouses before and in her experience, they rarely stayed that way for long.

She could just make out a figure in the dark, pacing on the other side of the gate, and assumed it was Burt waiting on them; he hadn't been able to get Tanner on the phone so he was flying solo but Kate was fine with that – Tanner had never been the best fighter amongst them, despite his insistence on wearing his ridiculous crotch gun, and she'd rather have Burt at her back than Sex Machine any day. Burt was smart and savvy and knew how to react in these situations in a way Tanner would never be able to.

Seth had been on speaker phone to him the entire ride into the city, planning and going over strategy with him and José as Kate had sat in the back, mind racing and alternating between blind rage and all-consuming guilt.

She was so fucking angry; how dare Santanico touch Richie again, after everything she had already put him through? Was she so blind to how much she had hurt him – first by turning him into a monster in the first place and then, after she'd gotten what she wanted from him, leaving him to navigate the world she'd dragged him, _all of them,_ into on his own. Richie wasn't perfect; as much as she loved him, Kate recognised that the man was deeply flawed, but he didn't deserve what she had done to him. No one deserved to feel like they were slowly loosing their mind and then to have their entire world ripped out from beneath them, even if they ended up okay in the end.

And she was pissed that she'd taken Matt too – Matt who had nothing to do with any of this. Matt who should have been safe in Maine; far away from Texas and Mexico and all of the culebra shit they were mixed up in. Santanico had taken Matt so that she could do the exact same thing that Amaru had done to Manola; she was going to kill an innocent man, just to get revenge for the queen of hell killing an innocent woman. Clearly the hypocrisy had been lost on the snake queen.

But the anger had nothing on the _guilt._

Guilt because she had misread the entire situation and gotten everything so fucking wrong. She'd insisted she didn't want to come back because Santanico would want to hurt her. Every one of the people she loved were spreading themselves thin trying to protect her and in the end it had been them who needed the protection. If she hadn't made such a fuss about Santanico, the boys wouldn't be insisting on being with her every minute of the day, and Seth would have gone with Richie and this wouldn't have happened (she ignored the rational part of her brain that reminded her that it might have ended up with both Seth and Richie captured, and then they'd really be screwed; no one could lead this rag tag group of heroes the way a Gecko could).

“Kate? Hey, princess. You still with us?”

Kate looked up from where she was staring at her hands to find that she was alone in the car with Seth.

José was already outside, nodding at something Burt was explaining to him, Scott and Freddie. Cecilia was there too, her hair tied back in a bun and a serious look on her face as she swung a sword easily in one hand; Kate had argued with Scott about his girlfriend coming with them, not wanting to include anyone else in their small group of fighters. She knew the men with her, knew that they were loyal to Richie, even if they weren't friends with him, but Cecilia was an unknown – Kate liked her, especially now that the younger girl was completely over the scent of her blood and could sit in the same room with her for longer than a few hours, but she wasn't sure how she would hold up in a fight against Santanico and she'd told Scott so when he'd mentioned her joining them. She also hadn't wanted to risk something happening to her, and Scott blaming Kate.

Scott had eased her fears by telling her that Cece was trained in krav maga and had been training with swords for years, and assuring her that his girlfriend was weirdly fond of Richie (he'd said it in such a disgusted tone of voice that she'd had to laugh, despite her worry).

“Kate?”

She glanced up at Seth again and took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly before opening them again and meeting his dark eyes calmly.

She knew that everyone outside would fight for Richie; that they were loyal but the only two people in the world who _loved_ Richie were still in the car.

“Don't tell me I'm not going in, Seth.”

“Like I could keep you out, princess.” He smiled softly at her, wrapping his knuckles against her knee lightly. “Are you alright?”

“How did I miss it, Seth? How did I fucking miss that she would do _this?_ I thought it would be me-”

“Hey, we all thought that. And it was you, Kate. She sent Jake after you and she grabbed Matt because of you – she probably got lucky and saw Richie in town and improvised but we're gonna get him back, alright? I lost my brother to that bitch once before, it's not happening again. You got your gun?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. You're sticking with me, okay? We're in and out, quick as we can.”

She nodded, tying her hair back into a loose bun before she followed him out of the car. Her cross necklace was a comforting weight around her neck, and she could feel the metal of her gun against the small of her back and she concentrated on them, one at a time, to keep her brain from becoming distracted with images of a bloody and broken Richie. She also accepted the long, curved knife Burt handed her as she approached the group.

“Alright. Far as I can tell, there's at least a dozen culebras acting as security. They're constantly in and out of that room, right there, so I think that's where they're being kept. I advise we get Richie out of there as soon as possible, because sun rises in a few hours and that room doesn't look like it'll be too friendly to culebras. Seth and Kate, you're in front with Scott and Cece. Peacekeeper, José, you boys are going in back with me. We'll meet in the middle. She knows we're coming, so don't try for subtlety. You kill as many culebras as you can when you can and hopefully by the time we find her, she's down to a few guards.”

Kate followed Scott and Seth silently, not arguing even as Seth held an arm out to keep her from wandering too far ahead, in an over-protective move that would have had her shouting if this were any other day.

Scott walked ahead slightly, his head tilted to the side as he listened to sounds she couldn't hear. He stopped suddenly and Kate exchanged a glance with Seth before Cecilia turned towards them, eyes narrowed but face determined.

“There's a group of culebras heading this direction. At least four. You two go ahead, Cece and I will head them off.”

“Scott-”

“Kate, I got this. Go.”

She wanted to argue, even as Seth led her on with a warm hand against her back.

“Bruce Lee'll be fine, princess. And Cece has his back.”

The long hallway they entered was brightly lit and empty, and Kate could hear their footsteps echoing so loudly in her ear that she was amazed they hadn't brought all the culebras in the building down on them yet.

She could just about make out the sound of the culebras reaching Scott; she could hear the grunts and the clash of metal and only Seth's firm grip kept her facing forward.

 _Scott can fight better than the rest of us. Scott can fight better than the rest of us_ she repeated as a mantra in her head as she tried to listen to the fight as they stepped further and further away.

They exchanged glances again as they approached a partially opened door at the end of the hallway and at Seth's nod, Kate pulled her gun out from her jeans and held it steadily as he pushed open the door violently.

“Jesus Christ-” Seth cursed loudly, sticking his gun into his jeans again at the sight of his brother.

“Richie.” Kate felt bile rise in her throat at the sight of him. He'd been beaten and although he looked like he'd healed, his white shirt was soaked through with blood and he was hanging limply from the wooden rack.

Seth's arm around her stopped her before she could take off towards the centre of the room, where Richie was staring at her weakly.

“Kate, no.” He muttered, shaking his head and then wincing. “You shouldn't be-”

“Shut up, Richard.” Seth interrupted softly. “Where's Santanico?”

“She's not here. She left with her guards and Tanner about twenty minutes ago.”

“Tanner?”

“Sex Machine?”

Kate and Seth spoke at the same time, glancing at each other as they moved towards the rack, now that they knew it was safe. At any other time Kate might have found their replying in unison funny but at that moment she felt a cold dread fill her; Tanner wasn't a warrior but he was smart, as much as she hated admitting it, and he knew enough about their plans and their fighting techniques that he could do a lot of damage if he put his mind to it. She couldn't believe the asshole was working with Santanico and none of them had realised.

She stood opposite Seth, working together to undo buckles and untie the ropes that held Richie up. Kate winced in sympathy as he practically fell onto them once he was free, her hands immediately moving over him to make sure he was okay, even as Seth took most of his weight.

He shot her a weak smile, dropping his head onto her shoulder for a brief minute and pressing a soft kiss to the spot where her neck met her shoulder, before pushing himself back up straight.

“Fucker's been working with Santanico this entire time.” Richie told them, wincing as he shook his newly freed arm. “Fed me some fucked up crap about how we'd never fulfil our full potential until we sacrificed Kate and he wasn't willing to sit around and be a loser, just because we're whipped.”

Kate could picture him saying it; could almost see the self righteous smirk on his face as he spoke down to Richie. He'd think himself brave – or braver than usual, at least – to lecture Richie when he was all tied up for him and the idea of the bastard anywhere near a vulnerable Richie made her feel ill; more ill than she'd felt when she'd thought it was only Santanico.

“Jackass.” Seth muttered, holding Richie around the waist as he led him towards an over turned crate and helped him sit. “Shit, brother. You're looking freakishly pale.”

“I need to feed.” Richie muttered, allowing Kate to press herself against his side briefly. His heavy arm fell over her shoulder and she closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder for a second, as one of his hands came up to curve around her neck and lift her face towards his. “Hey, Katie. Look at me, I'm-”

The sound of heavy footsteps made the three of them tense, and Kate scoffed as Richie tried to stand and push her behind him, even as she pressed herself to Seth's side and raised her gun along with him, the two of them creating a barrier with their bodies in front of him.

“Woah, calm down. It's only us.” Scott ducked at the sight of their raised guns, hands raised in surrender as he stood in front of Cecilia until they dropped them.

He turned and pushed the door closed behind him, before turning back. “Jesus, you look like shit. You need blood, man.”

“Thanks for that, captain obvious.” Richie muttered.

Kate rolled her eyes at the two of them, shrugging off her jacket and setting it beside Richie before sliding onto his lap sideways and turning her face towards his.

She could see the second he realised her intentions; his eyes darkened and his tongue slipped out to wet his bottom lip and his human facade slipped, just for a second, before he was shaking his head.

“No. Just- no, I can't guarantee I'm strong enough to stop, especially with you sweetheart. I'll drink from Seth”

“Richard-”

“Don't Richard me, Kate. No. I'll feed from Seth.”

“Richie, you have literally _just_ stopped complaining about how Seth tastes like shit and I have no interest in listening about it for the next three years.”

“Kate, baby -”

“Don't patronise me, Gecko. Seth and I already discussed this.” She ignored the dark look Richie shot his brother, who was pacing the other side of the room and pretending he wasn't listening. Cecilia and Scott were at a window, staring through it with their back towards them and Kate appreciated the illusion of privacy they were trying to create, even if she knew they could hear every word.

“You need to think about this rationally, alright? You and Seth are better fighters than me, it makes sense that you're both as strong as possible. If you bite Seth and take too much blood, you might loose us one of our better fighters and we can't take that chance.”

“But I can take the chance of hurting you? Fuck that, Kate.”

“Richie-”

“Kate, baby, no. I get what you're trying to do, alright, but the santa sangre – I can't guarantee I'd be able to pull away. And I'd rather die here than accidentally kill you.”

“You've never had a problem stopping.” She gave him a pointed look and he sighed, dropping his head onto her collarbone briefly.

Richie didn't feed from her often; it wasn't usually a pleasant sensation, despite what the urban fantasy books she'd hidden from her parents in Bethel had told her, so he only did it after he'd made her come at least twice and her entire body was already sated and humming with pleasure. He usually fed from a vein on her upper thigh (she'd been amazed that the books had gotten that part right) and he usually followed it up by licking her through another orgasm. She felt herself flush at the memory, and felt his grip on her leg tighten as his gaze darkened.

“I've always been distracted before.” He reminded her softly. “I've never been this weak before.”

“You need to feed, Richie.” She told him, catching his eye and smiling softly. “And I trust you.”

She felt him jolt slightly at the words and stroked her fingers through his messy hair as he gazed up at her.

“Kate, please-”

“Look, Scott and Seth aren't going to let you kill me, okay. You take a little bit, just enough to get you into fighting shape again, and I'll be fine. You can do this, Richie. I know you can.”

His gaze dropped to her neck and she saw his lips curve up in a smile at the sight of her cross. He reached up and rubbed a thumb over the chain, his cold fingers brushing against the skin of her throat. She pushed his hair out of his face, leaning down to drop a soft kiss on his lips.

“Thank you for bringing it home for me.” She murmured softly, pulling away and smiling. “Now let me fucking help you.”

“Okay. Shit, okay.” He mutters, before turning to look at Seth.

“You give me two minutes, Seth. If I don't stop, fucking shoot me. In the head.”

“You got it.” Seth's voice is calm and steady, but Kate catches the concerned look he shoots her and nods, watching as he takes his gun out and holds it loosely at his side, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

She kept her breath even as she watched Richie's face transform from smooth, pale skin to yellow-tinged scales and sharp fangs and didn't let it out until he smiled reassuringly at her.

“Are you sure about this?” His voice came out as a hiss through his fangs and she found herself smiling slightly; it almost sounded like he had a lisp.

“I'm sure, Richie.” She assured him as he lifted her arm towards him, dropping soft kisses on crook of her below before biting down.

She inhaled sharply as his fangs pierced the delicate skin on the inside of her arm, and couldn't bite back her wince as she felt his first hard suck; she felt his hand tighten on her hip at the small reaction and forced herself to relax against him.

It was more painful than she remembered, but she closed her eyes against it and stroked her fingers through his hair, removing whatever traces of gel were left and reminding him that she was there; that this wasn't a random girl he'd picked up to feed from at Jed's, this was Kate, and she trusted him enough to let him literally drain her blood. .

She had heard Richie say _blood is the conduit of the soul_ so many times that she almost expected to feel her life or soul or _something_ slipping out of her with every sharp pull of his mouth; to feel herself weaken as he fed but she didn't.

Even as he wrenched his head away with a satisfied groan that made her stomach clench in a way that was completely inappropriate for their current location, and wrapped a large hand around the still bleeding wound on her arm, she didn't feel any different – she was still just Kate; guilt filled and pissed off and ready to end the war with Santanico now.

“You're staying?” Richie rasped against her shoulder, his grip tightening on her arm and tugging her closer to him. “You're going to go to night school in Texas? Kate?”

She turned to look at him, ignoring the small smear of blood on his upper lip as she pulled a bandage out of her jacket pocket and began to wrap it around her arm, letting him take over when he tugged it out of her hand.

“I was thinking about it.” She told him with a small nod. “I wanted to look into it before making any decisions.”

“About staying?” She heard Scott ask from behind her; his voice was light but she could hear the underlying hope.

“About school.” She turned slightly on Richie's lap, so that her side was to his front and she was facing Seth and Scott. “I'm staying in Texas, I just don't know what to do about school.”

There was silence in the room before suddenly Scott and Seth were both talking at once and despite their location and the very present danger they were in, Kate found herself smiling warmly as she listened to Seth offering money for whatever she wanted to do, and to Scott's suggestion that she just start nursing school all over again if she was worried. Richie sat quietly behind her but she could feel his lips brush against her hair every few seconds and his grip around her was tight – she knew he was happy that she was staying; she'd heard the relief in his voice after he'd fed on her and she could feel it in the tender grip he had on her.

Their peace was shattered as Kate found herself suddenly on her feet and behind Richie. She watched as he held a hand out towards Seth and accepted the gun he was handed, aiming it towards the door as Seth and Scott took a spot on either side of him, so that she was almost completely hidden behind them. She exchanged a look with Cecilia as she took her spot next to her, drawing her own gun just as the door burst open and Aiden Tanner sauntered in, grinning in amusement as he pushed an unwilling looking Matt in front of him.

“Matt-” Kate breathed guiltily, watching as his eyes swung towards her immediately and he took a deep breath, his face changing instantly. His unwillingness disappeared as he sniffed and Kate felt her stomach clench with dread at the hungry look that took over his features.

“What is that?”

“That, my friend, is the santa sangre – the blood running through pretty, little Katie-cake's veins. Smells delicious, huh? You know, you pick the right side in this and you could be feasting on it before the night is done. Hell, smells like someone already had a little taste.” Tanner sniffed loudly and dramatically, before turning so that he was facing the five of them with a smirk. “Finally gave in and took a taste, huh Richard? Feel like sharing with the rest of us?”

“What the fuck, man?” Scott breathed uneasily, swinging his sword easily as he stared at the taller blonde. “Whose fucking side are you on here?”

“Listen kid, it's nothing personal, alright? The only side I'm on is my own, and my side wants power. You know the easiest, quickest way to power? Sacrifice. And no sacrifice is going to get me as much power, as quickly as I want it, as sacrificing little miss Kate. Ask any student of ancient mythology, ain't that right, doc?”

Matt kept his hungry gaze on her, even as Tanner elbowed him harshly in the ribs, and Kate closed her eyes against the unfamiliar look.

Even when they'd had sex, Matt had never looked at her with intense _lust_ he was staring at her with now. It was a look that she was much more comfortable seeing on Richie's face than Matt's. Because when Richie looked at her like that, she knew he wanted _her_ ; her skin against his and her voice in his ear, her body and her soul but rarely her blood. He looked at her and saw Kate, but she knew that Matt was looking at her and seeing a meal.

“Yo, dick. I don't know who you are but you better stop looking at my sister like that.” Scott took a step closed to Kate.

“Your sister?” Matt finally spoke again, turning to look at Scott and freeing Kate from his intense gaze. “So that part of your note was true?”

“She didn't leave the note, you idiot. I did.” Seth snorted. “Look, whatever shit they've told you about Kate, about all of us, they're lying.”

“They told me she's the reason I'm here right now. She's the reason they turned me into this – this thing. La Diosa, she-”

“You know what? We're not doing this with you two. Either take us to the snake queen or get the fuck out of our way.” Seth cut in. Kate watched as he aimed his gun at Tanner's head and casually flicked the safety off. “I've been waiting a long time to kill you, you son of a bitch. I can't believe you fucking betrayed us – after everything we've done for you.”

“Listen, man, like I said - it's nothing personal. I like little miss Kate as much as the next guy, but I like the power sacrificing her will get me even more and Santanico has promised me-”

“She makes a lot of promises but when have you ever known her to keep any?” It was Richie who interrupted Tanner this time and despite his cool voice and calm demeanour, Kate could tell he was very, very close to loosing it. She placed a hand on his back, between his shoulder blades, and felt him relax, ever so slightly, but the long line of his body remained tense and rigid as he spoke. “Any at all? She lies, Tanner. It's what she does – it's what she's been doing for centuries, to ensure her own survival and power. She uses people until she can't use them any more and then she discards them.”

“You almost sound bitter, Richard.”

Kate flinched at the sound of the familiar, silky voice and watched as Santanico stepped into the room, flanked on either side by two culebras and wearing a pleased smirk as she looked at them, her eyes coming to rest on Kate.

Kate held her gaze, even as she tugged her phone out of her pocket and tried to blindly tap out a text to Freddie.

“Hello Kate.”

“Santanico. I'd say it's nice to see you again, but I'd be lying.”

“And good little preacher's daughters don't lie, right? You know, this wasn't how our next meeting was supposed to go – Tanner and I had big plans for you but no matter. I'm adaptable, it's how I've survived all those years in the Twister. I see you've been introduced to my newest recruit. Matthew was such a good find, don't you think.”

“Leave him alone.” Kate snapped. “He has nothing to do with this.”

She ignored Matt's surprised look and Richie's scowl as he glanced back at her.

“He's in love with you, so of course he has everything to do with it. You know, I have to admit, my plan was to abduct Richard and have you watch as I killed him, slowly and painfully. I was thinking of stringing him up in a place where the sunrise is slow – where you could watch him burn, inch by painful inch. But then I found out about Matthew from Professor Tanner and then it all became clear.. you could have a choice. Richard, or Matthew.”

Santanico nodded towards the two culebras who had come in with her and they grabbed Matt violently, wrenching his arms behind his back as he hissed in pain. Kate held herself in check, still safely tucked behind the boys, but she could feel the rage rising as she looked at the satisfied look on Santanico's face.

“There's a slight problem there, snake bitch.” Seth chuckled darkly. “There's no choice to make – Richie's here, with us.”

“But for how long? Kate isn't about to let an innocent man die for her and your brother has always had a blind spot for the little bitch. One look at her sad little face and he'll string himself up.” Santanico grinned, tossing her dark hair back and stepping closer to them.

“And then she'll have to live with the same memory that I have – of watching the person she loves die, slowly and painfully, in front of her while she watches, helpless to stop it.”

For a few brief seconds, Kate felt sorry for Santanico; the older woman wore a heart broken expression as she stared at a spot above their heads, before she licked her darkly painted lips and her cold mask of indifference slid back in place.

“That was your big plan?” Kate felt her phone buzz in her pocket and said a silent prayer that it was Freddie, telling her that he was on his way. “You were hoping that Richie would suddenly develop a self sacrificing streak and _offer_ himself in place of a man he's met once? All because I, what, bat my eyelids at him?”

Santanico scowled at her as she chuckled, allowing her hand to rest more firmly on Richie's back.

“Don't try to down play the lengths he would go to for you.” Santanico spat out. “I saw how desperate he was after you left him. How bitter and angry and pathetic. He'll-”

“Jesus Christ, enough with this shit.” Seth cut her off, waving his gun slightly. “I don't give a damn if you string Apple Pie up by his dick, you're fucking insane if you think we're handing Richie over to you.”

Kate snorted slightly, keeping her eyes trained on Santanico and away from the shadows at the door.

All they needed was for Burt, Freddie and José to get in and flank Santanico's people at the back and they might all make it out of here alive.

“You want to know who I'd choose, Santanico?”

“My name is Kisa.”

“Sure, whatever.” Kate dismissed her with a wave of her hand. “I choose Richie.”

She felt his back relax slightly at her statement and frowned; hadn't she made enough of a statement about how she felt earlier, when she'd allowed him to feed on her and see her thoughts? Had he really believed that she would choose Matt over him?

“You're lying.” Sex Machine chuckled. “There's no way you'd let us kill him.”

He motioned towards a grimacing Matt and Kate forced herself to shrug calmly.

“You still have this image in your head of the innocent little seventeen year old you tried to sacrifice in the Twister,” she spoke softly but kept her eyes on his, not hiding the anger and disgust she felt towards him. “I haven't been that girl in a long time. Since before my possession. You don't know me, Tanner, so don't stand there and try to predict what I will or won't do when it comes to protecting the people I love.”

“Aww, that's sweet. But this changes nothing. I will kill Richard and I will force you to watch ever excruciating second of it.”

“You're welcome to die trying.” Richie finally spoke, raising his gun. “Kate and I aren't your fucking pawns, Santanico. You don't get to try and come after us every time you're bored and decide you want to avenge Manola. That wasn't Kate, and you know it. You can't keep trying to punish her for something she didn't do.”

“Maybe you're right.” Santanico nodded seriously, and Kate inhaled sharply. “Maybe I should blame you, Richard. After all, it was your greed and your ambition that got Kate killed and possessed in the first place. Or maybe I should punish Scott? If he had just been a good little culebra like his big sister wanted, she wouldn't have followed him and gotten caught by Malvado and then ended up at the blood well. Or maybe Seth? If he hadn't been so weak, needing that ridiculous human poison to numb himself to his pain, he would have taken better care of little miss Kate, and she wouldn't have gone after her brother. You see, Richard, it doesn't matter which one of you I blame – punishing one will punish you all.”

“Man, you are one vieja loca.” Burt's voice cut across the room sharply and Kate felt herself being tugged back, Richie's grip strong on her arm as he kept her behind him while he fought two of Santanico's guards.

He moved with easy grace, almost lazily, ducking and swinging as Kate climbed onto a crate behind him and began firing her gun into the cluster of Santanico's culebras who came through the door. She could see Seth fighting hand to hand with Tanner, an angry look on his face as he continually pummelled the older man. Scott and Cecilia worked in tandem, moving around each other in a graceful arc that spoke of hours of practise; if Kate had been able to concentrate on them, she'd have noticed how beautifully they moved together.

The fight was fast, but brutal and bloody. By the time the firing had stopped and Richie had lifted her off the crate and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, only Santanico, Tanner, Matt and one of her culebras were left standing.

Burt and Freddie were moving through the room, firing wooden bullets through the bodies of any remaining culebras to ensure they were dead, and Scott and Cecilia were holding their swords threateningly at Santanico and Tanner.

“You think you've won?” Santanico spat angrily, glaring at them. “This isn't over.”

“Yes it is. Jesus, how could you have thought it was a good idea to do this now? When we should all be worried about The General?” Freddie asked. He was bleeding from a cut on his cheek and cradling his left arm against his chest but Kate was relieved that he didn't seem to have any other injuries.

Santanico laughed loudly, a sharp, bitter sound that made Kate's skin crawl and suddenly she knew what the snake queen was going to say.

“The General doesn't exist, you idiots. He was a bedtime story told a long, long time ago so that people behaved themselves, for fear of risking his wrath. Oh, he's mentioned in plent of ancient texts, but he is nothing more than a myth. He was the professor's idea, actually, and it was perfect. All I had to do was kill a few culebras and then run, panicking and scared, to the Geckos. Drop a few hints that you were in danger, insert a few spies within your ranks and they did the rest of the work for me. I didn't know where you were, but I knew that someone must. My money was on the peace keeper – if I'd realised it was little Scott, I would have just grabbed him off the street and tortured the information out of him.”

“You could have tried.” Scott hissed scornfully. “I wouldn't have told you anything.”

“Oh, you would have. Seduction or torture, little boy. All men break from one of them and besides, you've betrayed your sister before. She ended up dead that time too, didn't she?”

“Wait a second – you killed your own people? Just to stage a scene so we'd bring Kate back? That's fucked up, even for you.” Seth curled his lip up in disgust.

“It was a necessary evil. I didn't want to do it, but the Professor showed me it was needed. You wouldn't have gone after her if you didn't think she was really in danger and I needed her to be here for my plan to work. Now, enough talking. Either kill me or release me.”

Kate saw Richie and Seth exchange glances before Richie looked towards her, an uncertain look on his face.

“Listen, fellas-”

“Shut up, Tanner.” Seth interrupted. “You're definitely dead. I should have killed you the minute Kate told us you hit on her. The question is, does the queen live or die?”

“You're kidding me, right? You can't let her live, knowing that she could try this shit every couple of years.” Burt spoke up from across the room. “You really want to spend the rest of your lives looking over your shoulder for her?”

“Burt's right. I say we kill her.” Scott nodded, a scowl on his face as he jabbed his sword into Tanner's shoulder. The professor winced and shifted slightly, glaring down at him. “I saw we kill them all.”

“Not the professor.” Freddie disagreed. “He lives.”

“See, someone with some sense.” Tanner chuckled, the relief evident on his face as he nodded in Freddie's direction. “Thanks, man.”

“I didn't mean you, asshole. Gecko's right, you should have been put down the minute we realised what a sleaze you are. I meant him.” Freddie nodded at Matt and Kate felt Richie tense next to her. She slid her hand into his and leant against him, allowing him to take most of her weight.

Maybe it had been the adrenaline during the fight but now that everything was calming down, Kate felt tired and achy; she felt as if she'd been fed on and lost a few pints of blood. She wouldn't bring it up; even now it wasn't worth showing weakness to these monsters, but she knew Richie would let her lean against him without comment and he did, bringing a hand up to rest against her hip.

“Me?” Matt looked shocked that anyone was speaking to him, and Kate saw his eyes dart towards her before he looked back at Freddie.

He hadn't taken sides in the fight; she'd seen him huddle against the far wall and try to hide himself as much as possible so she couldn't hold that against him. He hadn't even tried to attack her, although his face still held that familiar hungry look that she hated.

“Yeah, you. Once we kill Sex Machine here, we're gonna need someone who knows his way around ancient civilisations.”

“Yeah, but most of the shit we deal with is Mesoamerican and this douche specialises in ancient European history.” Richie shook his head. “I say we kill him too.”

“Yes, but what's fascinating is the similarities, Doctor Sands. I mean – Mr Gecko.” Matt shook his head, eyes lighting up at the familiar subject. “A lot of the European myths can be directly applied to this situation – the names and places are different but there are always similarities. I'd be glad to look into it further for you; UNAM has some fantastic courses on the subject.”

“Okay, we don't kill you. Yet.” Seth rolled his eyes. “But if you don't stop looking at Kate like she's a fucking Happy Meal, you get a wooden bullet between the eyes, got it?”

Matt nodded, glancing briefly at Kate before looking away. He stepped away from Santanico, looking at her nervously as he moved towards Burt and Freddie. Kate didn't miss the fact that he also shot a nervous look in Richie's direction as he moved.

“If you're all quite finished.” Santanico drawled. “I've made up my mind.”

“ _You've_ made up your mind?” Richie smirked.

“Yes, Richard. You said earlier that I could not use you and Kate as pawns. Did you think I would allow you to do the same to me? You can stand here and debate my death for hours if you wish, but you should not be so naïve to think I will allow it to come at your hands.”

Kate jolted forward as she watched Santanico rip a large, writhing snake from her stomach, dark blood splattering the floor around them as she held it aloft, body beginning to fall to dust as they watched.

“My name is Kisa and I am La Diosa, and _I_ decide my own destiny.” She muttered, glaring at them all with contempt and the type of bone deep hatred that Kate had read about it books but never experienced. She didn't wince in pain, the way Venghaza had before Amaru, and she was gone before any of them could react.

“Holy shit.” Scott spoke first. “Holy shit – is she dead?”

No one answered him; Kate was too busy staring at where Santanico had stood minutes before.

Santanico Pandemonium had been such a big part of her life for so long that the idea of her being gone was unfathomable. Even though she'd known that it would be either her or them, she wasn't sure she'd really expected Santanico to die, and she sure as hell hadn't expected her to kill herself.

And yet, it made sense. Kisa had been captured and killed by men and Santanico had spent years being forced to dance for their entertainment; it made sense that she would refuse to die at the hands of men. Kate understood that; she had walked into hell because she'd refused to allow Amaru the pleasure of dealing that final blow. But as much as she understood Santanico, she couldn't bring herself to feel guilty about the sheer relief that was bubbling up inside her, knowing that Santanico would never be able to hurt her, _to hurt them,_ again.

There would be other enemies; neither Richie or Seth had any decent people skills and she had no doubt they would find themselves involved in never ending trouble but Santanico had been the sword that hung over her head for so long that Kate almost didn't know what to do with the her new sense of freedom.

Well, that wasn't strictly true – she was going to demand that Richie give her the pretty engagement ring he'd bought for her all those years ago and she was going to marry him; she was going to stay by his side and never doubt him again.

As if sensing her thoughts, Richie suddenly turned to her, dipping down to drop a long, soft kiss on her lips, until she was clinging to his dirty white shirt with greedy fingers, wanting nothing more than press herself against him. His tongue stroked across her bottom lip before he pulled back, tugging her so that she rested flush against his side with one of his big hands against her hip.

She elbowed him harshly when she realised Matt had been staring at them and the kiss had been Richie's way of telling him to back off.

“You possessive idiot.” She muttered, shaking her head. He lips quirked up in a small smile and she found herself smiling in response.

“We still need to decide what to do about the Professor.” Seth's voice was amused and Kate glared at him as he motioned towards Tanner with his gun. “You want to do it, princess?”

Kate shook her head. “Nah, go ahead.”

Seth had a stake out and buried in Tanner's chest before the man could open his mouth again and Kate felt herself relax further as she realised that the only ones left standing were all allies.

“We should get out of here. Who knows how many culebras Santanico has stationed around here, and how they'll react when they find out their queen is dead.” Burt had started to gather up weapons, both the ones he'd brought with him and the spare ones left behind by dead culebras. “Since you're our new professor, you'll come back to the shop with me. I'll give you a run down of what you're in for; give you the lay of the land.”

Matt shook his head slightly, glancing towards Kate again.

“I think maybe I should go with Kate – I mean, she's the only one of you I actually know and-”

“Buddy, if you try follow that girl home you won't survive the night.” Freddie drawled easily. “We didn't keep you alive to follow her, we kept you alive because you might be useful. Go with Burt, he'll explain everything.”

Kate watched as Burt led Matt out of the room, and she could feel Richie's body deflate once he was gone and bit back her urge to laugh.

“Let's go home.” She muttered, nudging him in the side. “I could sleep for hours, and you owe me a date tomorrow night, Gecko.”

He smiled widely and dropped a heavy arm over her shoulder, keeping her against his side as they followed Seth and José through the eerily empty hallways, Scott and Cecilia behind them, chatting softly to Freddie.

“Anything you want, sweetheart.” He murmured softly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for this being late! I genuinely wanted to have it all up before Christmas but work & life got in the way. 
> 
> This is the final chapter - after this there is a short epilogue and then the store is done! 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has read the story, and who have left kudos and comments on it. I really appreciate the feedback and I'm so glad you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> I may, in the future, write more short stories in this little universe - I have a few in mind so fingers crossed the muse works! 
> 
> I'm hoping to have the epilogue up shortly - I am just re-editing it now but my family is about to descend on the house for dinner so I may not get the chance.


	7. Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it folks, a short epilogue that I had hoped to have up BEFORE Christmas. 
> 
> I hope you've all enjoyed the story and I want to say a huge thank you again to anyone who took the time to review or leave kudos. 
> 
> I'll hopefully be back with more Richie x Kate in the New Year...

“Merry Christmas, Scott!”

Richie watched with fond amusement as his wife of a year – _his wife,_ he still couldn't fucking believe it – leapt from her spot next to him to wrap her brother up in a tight hug. Scott chuckled easily, allowing Cecilia to take the bag of gifts he held in his hand so that he could return Kate's embrace.

“Merry Christmas, Kate.” Richie heard him murmur against the fabric of her hideous green jumper before pulling back and allowing Kate to embrace Cecilia with equal fervour.

Richie loved watching Kate at Christmas, loved how excited she got over the smallest detail and how determined she was that everyone enjoy the holiday as much as she did. It had been a hard slog, but Richie knew that even _Seth_ enjoyed the holiday season now that Kate was in charge, and Seth had always been the biggest Scrooge Richie's ever met.

The first Christmas after they had freed her from Amaru, Kate had refused to celebrate; she was still too raw and too angry from the queen of hell's presence and neither Richie or Seth had known her enough to know how much she loved the holiday.

It was Scott who had told them about Kate's love of Christmas as the three men sat drinking whiskey in the office after Kate had gone to bed early, faking a headache. He'd told them that his mom and Kate had participated in every Christmas activity in Bethel; from organising a community party at the middle school to putting together care packages that were sent to disadvantaged families all over the country. She baked, constantly, and listened to Christmas songs on an endless loop from the middle of November and she used to insist on watching the same five Christmas movies, over and over again, Scott had told them.

Richie was the first person to admit that he didn't always like Scott Fuller; the teenage boy had never gotten under his skin in the same way his sister had and Richie's brief glimpse into Kate's soul in Malvado's office had shown him how _hurt_ she was at Scott's constant rejection of her, and that had made him _hate_ the younger man. But as he'd sat there, eyes staring down into his whiskey as he spoke about his sister and their family's holiday traditions, Richie had heard the broken sound of his voice and realised, maybe for the first time, that Scott was little more than a child. He knew that he wasn't that much younger than Kate and he knew that both Fuller children had literally been through hell and needed to grow up a lot faster than most kids their age, but for the first time Richie realised just how _young_ Scott Fuller had been when his life had been ripped out from under him.

The second Christmas at Jacknife Jed's had been better; Kate had been feeling more like herself and had insisted they buy each other gifts and unwrap them together after a Christmas day lunch that consisted of burgers and fries from the truckstop. She'd gone all out for them, buying Seth a set of leather bound classic pulp fiction novels and a new watch to replace the one she'd accidentally dropped into a sink full of water. She bought Richie a make-your-own-horchata mix, a five pack of black ties and a subscription to a classic movie magazine that arrived every month with a classic DVD.

She'd also bought _herself_ a dark purple underwear set made of silk and lace, but Richie had deemed it _his_ favourite Christmas gift ever as he'd kept her pressed against the wall, his head resting against her chest, listening to the loud drumming of her heart as she slowly came down from her first orgasm.

The following two years she'd been gone and they hadn't bothered celebrating Christmas, all of them too depressed and angry to put any sort of effort into the holiday but the year she'd come home stood out in Richie's mind as _the best Christmas ever_ because that was the year Kate stood up from the table, went to the safe in Seth's bedroom, ignoring his protests, and came back to the kitchen with the engagement ring he'd bought her years ago already on her finger. She'd sat down next to him again, reached over the kiss his jaw softly, before going back to the dinner he'd helped Scott prepare and starting up a conversation with Cecilia about a pair of boots they'd seen while out shopping. The girls had continued their conversation while the boys stared at Kate in shock, before Richie had shrugged and accepted that Kate had just accepted a proposal he'd been too chicken-shit to actually offer so far.

Richie didn't mind that he hadn't gotten the chance to propose – he'd traced the words _will you marry me_ across her collarbone with the tip of his tongue as his fingers moved inside her later that night, when he'd convinced her to lean against the wall in a secluded corner of the bar they'd all gone out to, out of sight of most of their friends, and let him touch her (Matt had heard them and Richie hadn't cared – he took every possible opportunity to remind the older man that Kate was _his_ , and the knowledge that Matt was close enough for his culebra hearing to pick up on Kate's breathless _please, Richie, please_ had filled him with dark, possessive pleasure that had only deepened with the glare the man had sent him when they returned to their table, Kate bright eyed and flushed and leaning against him to hide how shaky she was.)

Last Christmas had been their first as a married couple – and the first that included Vanessa.

Richie had been pissed when he'd caught the familiar scent of Seth's ex wife and hadn't believed it was her until he'd entered their small sitting room to see Vanessa and Seth on the sofa, trying to pretend they weren't dying to fuck each other by keeping a foot of space between them, and Kate in the armchair facing them with a cup of coffee in one hand and a softly amused look on her face as she listened to them bicker. Vanessa had tensed at the sight of him, and he'd taken vindictive pleasure in the way her heart sped up slightly in fear before the hopeful look on his brother's face and the stern look on his wife's face had caught his attention and he'd smoothed his face out and offered a calm greeting.

She'd moved into Seth's room two months later and had surprised both Geckos by being as excited about Christmas as Kate was; getting involved in all of her party planning and offering to help decorate and cook. It had blown his mind to see the two brunettes take over the restaurant's kitchen to prepare their Christmas meal – they'd moved around each other with a grace that hid how little time they'd known each other, and Richie and Seth had stood watching them from the door, dumbstruck until Kate had started bossing them around, much to Vanessa's surprised delight.

While he still didn't particularly like her, and he _knew_ she didn't like him, he mostly behaved himself around Vanessa because he knew that Seth deserved his own happiness; and as long as she was willing to stay in Texas with them, Richie was willing to play happy families (although he made Kate deal with her most of the time – it disturbed him how well the two women got along, but he'd been thrilled to hear Kate threaten Vanessa the first, and only, time the older woman had tried to dissuade Kate from staying with him).

This year, Kate had insisted they close Jed's for the day and they had invited everyone over. Freddie had arrived first, with Mags and Billie and Dakota and Burt had followed ten minutes later, leading a sour looking Matt inside. Scott and Cecilia were the last to arrive and Kate led them back towards the group of tables she'd demanded Richie push together for them all. She slid back into her seat next to him, and he automatically dropped his arm over her shoulder, finger stroking the soft skin of her neck and she listened to Scott and Cecilia chat about the places they'd seen on tour.

He looked around the almost empty restaurant as Kate got comfortable in her chair, tucking one leg beneath the other and leaning back against him easily, confident in the knowledge that he wouldn't let her fall.

Richie had never been the sentimental type; he'd burned his house down as a child and his father with it and he'd never really felt bad about it since. He didn't need to surround himself with people to feel better about himself but as he looked around at the small family they'd cobbled together over the years, he couldn't help but be thankful to Santanico and the path she'd led him down. Richie had always believed in fate; if something was meant to happen, it would happen regardless of outside factors. But he didn't know if fate was an all-encompassing thing or if fate had been a culebra queen trapped in a never ending labyrinth. Without Santanico's manipulation and influence, Richie might never have met Kate and while he could take or leave every other person at the table (except Matt – Richie had been campaigning to get rid of Matt since the day after Freddie had insisted they let him live), with the exception of his brother, he did not want to think of what his life would be without his wife.

“Hey, you alright?” Kate nudged him with a bright smile, her green eyes sparkling with happiness as she tucked her tiny hand inside his. “You've got your deep in thought face on.”

“Just thinking about fate.” He replied honestly, using their linked hands to tug her closer for a quick, soft kiss. “And you, of course.”

She scrunched her nose up adorably and his grin widened as he pulled her closer, resting his cheek against her hair as she turned her attention back to their brothers, who were now bickering over the last bottle of beer on the table.

As he watched Kate mockingly scold the two of them, he made a mental promise to himself that this would be the year he brought up the prospect of her turning, before joining in the conversation by telling Seth and Scott to _get off their asses and get another case of beer from the back._

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly, unfortunately, I don't own FDTD or any of the characters. 
> 
> Secondly, I am a recent convert to FDTD The Series and this popped into my head last week when I was catching up on season 3 and I had to write it. After the finale, it is pretty much AU - I'm pretty mean to Santanico in this fic but only because I needed a villain and she was perfect. I actually adore her and won't be used her as a villain in any of my other fics.
> 
> Thirdly, all mistakes are my own and if you see any, please let me know and I can fix them! 
> 
> Fourth - please enjoy and let me know if you like it!! :)


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